


Into the Desolate Night

by Davinia (WinterValkyrie)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Other, Vampires, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 01:01:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 33,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13670997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterValkyrie/pseuds/Davinia
Summary: Yugi's life wasn't perfect but it had been normal. He had a good part time job, excelled in all his post-secondary classes and was even able to maintain a long-distance relationship with his high-school sweetheart Anzu Mazaki. Until fate intervened. Becoming a werewolf was one thing, but attracting the attention of his pack's Alpha (Yami) was something else entirely. Now with vampires and monsters running amuck, how could one small wolf hope to survive in a world quickly falling into darkness?





	1. Chapter 1

**  
**

**General Overview:**

Many ships will set sail throughout the course of this story, however which ones bear fruit may be up to reviewers. There will most certainly be puzzleshipping as the storyline pivots around this relationship. It is designed to be a fantasy-romance adventure set in an alternate universe that involves magic, shifters, vampires and other mythical beasts. All character will recognisable from Yugioh universe with incorporations from both the tv series and manga. Expect to see a prequel and sequel later on.

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Yugioh or make any profit in writing this. If there are any themes or elements of my alternate universe you would like to include in your own writing, drawing or other creative art piece (including any OCs) then please do so with my blessing. All I ask is that you forward me the piece (be it art, writing, whatever) because I would love to see how the ideas have grown under the influence of another's perspective.

**Important Notices:**

ITDN has been modified from its original version. Things changed as new ideas come to mind. After the story is fully complete I may also come back for further polish.

Also, please also note that I am no longer going to revise chapters into a PG13 version. I will instead mark any chapters for content and if it's a concern, message me on FF and I will provide you a plot synopsis so that you know what to expect and can make an informed choice on whether to read (ie. lemons, extreme gore or violence).

Finally, please feel free to leave comments or story ideas in the review section below. Feedback is greatly appreciated and I adore those not afraid to speak their mind with me. If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I grow as a writer because of the feedback I receive.

Now without further ado, let us step "into the desolate night".

* * *

 

o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Prelude: "What Waits in the Night"

(Kaoruko)

* * *

Sweat and liquor perfumed the air. Like most Friday nights Maenad was packed, a lively chorus of conversation heating the club with the growing fires of excitement. All around bodies collided in rhythm to the pulsating chorus of electric beats, wedging themselves onto the dance floor or up to the bar as the neon strobes welcomed them away from the stale repetition of daily life. However, not all would find reprieve in the planetary décor and fog machines. Life was never that simple. Popular, and by extension, well-populated spaces became competitive hunting grounds for Domino's most notorious predators.

And tonight was no exception.

Perched on a mauve-cushioned bar stool, manicured nails drummed impatiently, indigo eyes narrowing into cat-like slits. Anger was woven into tight lines across her brow, marring an otherwise flawless complexion into a twisted sneer. It vexed her to no end to see her territory invaded by yet another fledgling, this one seated alone across the room dressed fully in black as if he were kin to the shadows around him.

It had only been a week since she had disposed of the last and left her to the mercy of the wolves. It was a fate this vampire would soon know if he did not watch himself. Though he was not like any of the other fledglings that had tried to move in on her before. He made no attempts to draw attention to himself. It was perplexing to say the least. Annoying to the point of irritation, like an itch begging to be scratched.

If he had not come here to hunt, why risk her anger? Young vampires were weak and vulnerable, barely able to disguise themselves as humans let alone pick a fight. So why had he come here if only to provoke her? She was not known for mercy and always finished off her meals rather than leaving any unwanted spawn behind. He couldn't be hers, so why would he shadow her?

This was her club and he didn't belong here.

Yet it was while she had been on the dance floor, flaunting before the humans and refusing to let his presence interfere with her work, that she first became aware of his fixated stare. Oh, the poor fool. If it was a partner he was after he was in the wrong place. She would never fall for a fledgling such as that.

In this form her breasts were as full and pale as the moon, cream-white and as soft as goose down, all snuggled and pillowed within the circlet of her strapless dress. It fit tightly to her hour-glass frame, a splash of fresh cherry-wine glistening in tapered layers against long, slender legs before meeting a pair of laced heels that curled up her calves like twin vipers. She was a tempting vision no hot-blooded fool could resist. It may have taken half a century but she had mastered the art of glamour and perfected a body that would make more than a young man's heart throb.

Yet this stare- his stare- was growing more unnerving by the minute. It was not as though she was unaccustomed to stares, on the contrary, she was used to holding the spotlight of every room she occupied, but it had been hours now and all he had done was watch her. It was as if he were waiting for something to happen. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on but it peaked her curiosity.

These questions left her in a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts. She needed to puzzle it out and understand what was happening before he did something stupid. But the longer it took to figure out his intensions, the bigger his smug grin became.

She hated it. Hated him for it.

Then another insult tested her patience.

Although it was not uncommon to pulsate magic in order to detect other beings, to an aged vampire like herself the gesture was simply infuriating. She had no need to hide her powers from him. It was like that game children play, when they all pretend to ignore and not see someone. She was not hiding since she was trying to feed, so the insult was intentional. He was trying to make her angry.

She peered at him again when the bartender interrupted to place fresh glasses before them. She had not noticed her date signal for a third round, the alcohol wasted on her but she accepted it nonetheless. Neither its taste nor affects were welcomed, a worry growing that her glamour might slip if her focus did. And yet the fledgling had no qualms at his table and accepted another refill from the women that flocked about him, circling like noisy seagulls as they made idle conversation and tried to join him.

But to her continued surprise, he remained alone, waving off those who approached with the odd nod or declining gesture - never once coaxed onto the dancefloor, or letting them sit in his lap despite their best efforts. It was an odd behaviour if he had come here to feed, which meant she had clearly made a wrong assumption somewhere in her thinking.

Her blood positively seethed thinking about him.

If he had been sent by the Hierarchy to collect her, he would have told her already and not fooled around. There would be no need for indignant smirks and staring contests. If he wanted to pair with her than he was taking all the wrong measures because everything he did pissed her off. And everything she assumed so far was wrong… She was beginning to suspect that he might not be as fresh as he had first appeared.

There was an air about him which seemed… off. It just – hung – oddly, or – moved more slowly, drawing the shadows around him like a fog to veil him in a veneer of darkness. It could have been magic but it didn't quite feel like magic. A trick of the lights? Still, her intuition wouldn't let it go. It felt unwise to dismiss the magic interpretation despite what her eyes were telling her. Somehow, she just knew he was dangerous. She could feel it in the moment they locked eyes.

And what eyes they were, dark, and malignant – a near black that bled scarlet in pulse of strobe light.

In human form, he looked to be no older than mid to late twenties, fit for a human, with a compact build and raven hair styled outwards. The face was angular and still held colour, a lingering bronze that had yet to fade or transitioned onto the human guise which was rare. It had taken her decades to reproduce the red hair she had been born with from the muted grey it had become. This likely meant that he was older, possibly a rogue in search of new territory.

Maybe this was where the uneasiness had come from.

She couldn't quite place it but it pooled in her gut, sloshed about, and refused to settle. Her stomach did flip-flops and shivers prickled her skin with pins and needles beneath his uncanny gaze. This evening was more uncomfortable than it ought to be. Admittedly, not since her first hunt had she felt so devastatingly on edge. Something was wrong with this situation. Something was wrong with him. She needed to leave.

And she was just about to get up, a hand touched her shoulder.

"Sorry that took so long."

Her date's voice brought her back from her musings with a start. Kaoruko watched in a daze as he came to sit beside her, mounting the stool on her left while sliding the phone back into the pocket of his washed-out denims. "It was my little sister callin' and I just couldn't say no to her. But uh, you still up for that dance?"

With the hold on her thoughts broken, Kaoruko drew a deep breath and closed her eyes. In mere moments the calm mask she had perfected resumed its station, "Not a problem. I just hope everything's okay."

She smoothed the words with practiced ease, her voice soft as satin despite the false care and agitation still festering inside her.

Unlike her usual targets, this rugged, walking mess of golden hair with honey-cinnamon eyes won her attention with nothing less than a heavenly smile. It was his best asset to be certain. A contagious effect, specifically designed to melt hearts, and, like many, she was weak in the light of its splendour, warming to him despite his callous appearance and less than preferable fashion sense.

Simple blue jeans worn low accompanied by sneakers and what must have been a favourite green hoodie given the washed in stains and advanced fraying around the cuffs. Normally such lack of composure was off-putting but even Kaoruko couldn't resist warming beneath the pearlescent glow and gave in to his soft insistences. Even now the corners of her lips twitched in reply before submitting to the desired effect. Her keen indigo eyes met with his dark cinnamon and a few butterflies danced near her throat.

"Yeah well it could be better but you know how life can get. I'm sure it'll all be fine in the end," he gestured as he spoke, eventually leaning back so that both elbows rested on the bar top and his body faced the dance floor. "Thanks for understanding though. Not everyone gets it, especially not…"

His words trailed off as he caught himself about to dig a hole. He didn't need to say it because those expressive eyes told her everything he'd meant. 'Bar-babe', 'gold-digger', 'man-eater', 'slut', 'man-ipulator' – he really needed to stop thinking so loudly. His expression had implied more than enough to make her cringe, which must have shown on her face given how quickly he looked away.

After having endured some of the best and worst courting of the last century, she could not help but find this human's speech absolutely repugnant. His words held no finesse and his accent slurred what little vocabulary he had, conversations flat and full of busy noise, similar to how a mutt howls insistently when starved for attention. It made her question again why she had chosen him. He was cute but that was by no means a prerequisite.

Desperate? Lonely? Vulnerable. Those were the typical targets, but her favourites were the arrogant, know-it-alls who never saw it coming.

Rough around the edges was not her style. She expected a certain level of courtesy – she was a goddess after all. Plenty of men would willing trade places with him if given the opportunity. His blunt honesty was nearly unbearable, her pride wounded by the truth of what she was. Who she was. It was an impression of herself she could not believe he had implied... She was gorgeous, the belle of the ball, and most coveted woman in the city, so how how dare he associate her with inferior ranks of women that whored themselves out over a few free drinks. She had too much class and sophistication to be lumped in with their ilk.

As charming as he was, Jou was certainly no prince.

It made her question for a moment if he was possibly a shifter, losing his mind to the urges of his beast which bypassed his capacity for decorum. But no, she definitely would have noticed that. Shifter blood had a distinct smell and was unmistakeable for its sweetness. Jounochi was not one of them.

May patience preserve her. There was only so much she could handle.

"Go on, say it," she chided, unable to restrain herself as the unpleasantness made her lip twist sourly.

He reacted with a visible flinch. She could see his arms tense and eyes shift, scanning the room for answers before his mind settled on something. "You know, girls who hang out all the time at these sorta places. It's rare to find someone both smart and beautiful, but understanding as well? People that perfect don't really exist."

He smiled at that, pausing for a moment to glance her way and look her up and down. "But I've been wrong before. So listen, you gotta be some kinda special and me some kinda stupid to have not seen it sooner, so I best just get to askin ya for that dance before I say something else to ruin your night."

This was it. He sat up and turned to give her the full impact of his eyes this time, reaching out to offer his hand. She knew she had him and her lips pursed with a devious smile. Timidly, as if she were uncertain, she placed her pale one into his and allowed herself to be pulled up from her seat into the contours of a warm body.

"Oh Katsuya, stop or you'll make me blush! I'm not perfect at all, I just felt so awful seeing you look so sad," she teased, pulling the mask back on before another crack in behaviour allowed itself to show. Swatting at his arm playfully she buried her face into his shirt, as if to try and cover up the non-existent redness in her cheeks.

She knew the physical contact would be taken as a sign of forgiveness. She was good at this game and had plenty of experience.

No more distractions. A few more well-placed touches, some added tipsiness and he would be all hers. And once that was taken care of she could return, find the rogue, and sort out his attitude. It was going to be a long night but a manageable one nonetheless.

Rumbles of laughter vibrated against her as large hands guided her back gently, just enough, so their eyes could meet; hands lingering about her swollen hips as he thumbed the beads of her loose-fitted belt, "Y'know I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying."

"Jounochi! You devil!"

"What? You can't fault me for that. You got such nice red hair, it only makes sense to wanna see if I can get yer face to match," he beamed, drawing her out to the dance floor as he spun her around before pulling her flush against him.

Kaoruko grinned, pleased to find him willing to lead. From what she could tell, Jou was just about as eager to quit this place as she was so it wouldn't take long for all the pieces to fall into place.

She loved this part the best. "You can try but don't get your hopes up, I don't flatter easily," she laughed, grinding her hips against his before moving away and leading him into step with the beat, "I'm not an easy girl to please."

He wasted no time and followed, capturing her in his arms again to keep their bodies close as they bumped and swayed between crowding dancers. The song they joined ended shortly with another following quickly on the heels of the last note. In turn, their rhythm changed to match, fast and wild as bodies collided and filled in around them, forcing the distance between them to close yet again.

But even as two more songs passed, paranoia continued to plague her mind. It was a hateful distraction yet equally difficult to ignore. In the next twist, she tried to spot the rogue through the tidal sway of the crowd but her view was clogged by flailing limbs. At a glance, it had almost looked as though he was gone. Yet each time she checked, rechecked, and double-triple-checked between dance steps – stealing glances between crowds, and dipped low for a better angle – his booth remained empty. He was gone and she hadn't even noticed when.

Yet why had he left? The thought of him leaving was enough to elevate her mood but new, possibly more troubling questions remained. Maybe seeing her and Jou together had dashed his hopes? Or maybe what he wanted was not important enough for him to stay any longer? Regardless, there was one thing she needed to know for certain and that was whether he was really, truly, absolutely, gone from her territory.

For confirmation Kaoruko leaned into Jou and hid her face in the crook of his neck, feeding out a stream of magic to blanket the club and deeper parts of her territory. She couldn't risk having Jou see her eyes shift colour but there would be no peace unless she could confirm that the rogue had actually chosen to leave.

A few targets lit up like tree lights in her mind's eye, all auras she recognised and whose faces perked up at the touch of her magic. She would explain to them later why she was searching but for now there was only one individual her mind.

But he was not there. The echo of his magic did not meet her bursts of energy and reflect back to her. The waves dissipated without a single ping, indication enough that he was gone after all.

Elation soared as she pulled away and guided Jou into a series of provocative moves. He seemed okay with her change of pace and, to her welcomed surprise, held his own against her sharp turns and twists, giving back nearly as good as he got with his hands invoking a fire in her belly the likes of which she hadn't felt in…forever.

She nearly lost herself. Consumed by the moment, surrendering all feeling and thought to the ecstasy of the music and euphoria brought on by Jou's warmth. Everything became distant and forgotten, lost in the rapture of the hunt. Was this how the humans felt in her presence, what made them so careless? She only snapped out of it when her heel caught and she stumbled, finding herself held tightly by guiding hands that gripped her waist possessively and tugged her securely back against the soft plush of the green jacket.

Before she could even question what had happened and regain balance on her own, his lips found hers and she swooned, arching into his hold as their tongues carried on the dance their feet had forgotten. She purred against his mouth, drowning in her own desire until a spark of realisation dawned and she broke from the kiss with a genuine laugh. For once she hadn't initiated and intentionally fallen to get herself closer to her prey. After years of mimicking these acts she had never expected for them to happen naturally on their own. That such feelings could be genuine was nearly a crime.

"Are you okay?"

The words breathed heatedly against her hair, heavy and broken, confirming just how far gone Jou's own mind was to the throes of lust and passion-driven ecstasy. She could feel it as well, her little tumble having brought their bodies together as she laced her arms around his back and snuggled in. She knew exactly what kind of effect her body had on him. She could hear it in the rhythm of his heart and feel it in the course of his blood.

Yet he would never grasp the significance of her reciprocated feelings.

It was a rare moment to be held like this by anyone, let alone a human. To feel so…so… enchanted was not quite the right word but it was hard to name the feelings such tenderness warmed in her. She gave a nod in reply to his question, her thoughts still lost and concentrated on the feel of his body, the richness of his skin, and pulse that lied beneath - all of which flooded and over-ruled her senses.

It was unnerving yet familiarly pleasing. In a way he reminded her of home, memories from her human life stirring that she had thought lost; the bakery, camping by the lake, waking at dawn in that perfect twilight hour of violet skies and honeyed landscapes – back, long ago, when she would sneak downstairs to help her father prepare the dough and "sample" the fresh rolls her mother had made. They had lived above the small shop they owned, a common and plain life she had fervently resented in her youth. But as much as she hated it, there were a few fragments she couldn't let go of.

Still, it was strange that they should reawaken here and now of all times. It was somehow just like Jou though, from the moment she met him there was a feeling of welcome and homeliness to him. In this way he was different, making her feel things she didn't want to and on some levels didn't know she was still capable of.

His charm addicted her despite her best efforts to ignore it. The way his eyes teamed with security, as if even the worst the world could throw wouldn't faze him - that lively optimism, she both adored and loathed to see. His light was too bright and it would draw darkness to him the same way flames lured moths… After all, it had attracted her had it not?

The promise of security was a lie, yet some part of her, some secret and deep dwelling desire, still longed and wished for it to be true. He was something special to be certain. Unlike any human she had encountered before. No one had moved her like this in years and the guilt of her intentions gnawed at her.

It was disarming.

Imagine, her, Kaoruko, caught fancying someone such as this and actually feeling pity. She had never understood how other vampires could be interested in such simple-minded creatures and yet, in the time she had come to know Jou, she was beginning to. It was not enough to change her mind but just as a cat-person introduced to a very sweet dog might see the appeal, she could understand why some fledglings were made, even if she would never have one herself.

Humans were not love interests, plain and simple. She remembered the first time she had ever revealed herself and witnessed the petrified stares of horror. Humans were conceited and vain. Even her parents had disowned her after the attack that turned her. So much for love. This was no doubt the reason human fairy tales ended as a relationship began and spoke no further of them. Love was too fickle and fleeting, unworthy of those determined to survive.

She had to remind herself that this one was no different. His only interest in her was based purely on appearances and sex appeal. For that crime alone he would pay, just as every human before him had, and all that came after would. She would never be so foolish as to give her heart out blindly again. Enough was enough. She had fooled around too long and it was time to bring the hunt to an end.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. Heh, I can't remember the last time I had this much fun," she admitted, finding the bite of honesty bitter as her smile faded.

What was wrong with her? She never been so emotionally worked up before.

Warm hands traced the curve of her spine moments before she found herself enveloped and his mouth tracing butterfly kisses against her ear. "Well that's exactly what I'm here for. If there's anything I know, its how to have fun."

His words hummed against her skin, barely audible above the music as he dropped his tone to one best suited for the privacy of a bedroom. For a brief moment it almost felt as though they were the only two there, the writhing crowd forgotten like the backdrop of a play as her senses became fully consumed in one: Jonouchi Katsuya.

It was as enticing as blood in the water to hear his voice laced with the promise of sex as her fangs instinctively flexed in anticipation. Lust drizzled over his skin and she craved him badly. Perhaps she would take him to bed first and enjoy fully what Jou had to offer, after all, there was no harm in taking pleasure in a meal.

With a grin she turned in his arms, pressing her lips against his neck as she spoke the next words carefully between breathy kisses to his throat. "Oh? And what kind of fun do you have in mind my darling Katsuya?"

It was then warm, too warm. She hadn't noticed the heat at first but once she did, it rocked her back like a hard slap across the face. The sweep of magic was unmistakeable and stole her attention as her body petrified in Jou's arms

She knew this magic. It was no longer cool to the skin, but searing hot and sharp as a whetted blade. Magic was not something most humans were receptive to but even Jou shivered as it sliced across the air. For a moment she expected to see the rogue but then the surge, despite being brief, was too powerful for her shadowy admirer. Young vampires couldn't control magic like that. It had to be a master vampire in the area, one that meant business to be shedding power so needlessly. Perhaps there was a gathering or a fight? She should probably investigate but -

If Jou had been talking she must not have heard because it wasn't until after the soft shake that he jostled her from her thoughts. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." She blinked wildly up at him, confusion staining her expression.

She needed to get back in control.

Withholding a breath, she swallowed to calm her nerves. "I'm fine, I just thought I saw my ex in the crowd. False alarm though," she lied, pulling away from Jou enough to dance again.

Tonight was not going how she expected at all. First the rogue, and now a master vampire in the area? What the hell was going on?

She would have to focus on it later, she couldn't go another night without feeding.

Dipping low to present a small showing of her laced bra, and letting the shower of neon lights accent her thick curls of strawberry hair, she continued to pretend as though nothing was wrong. From the reaction in Jou's movements, Kaoruko knew she should just invite the young man home with her and finish what she had set out to do; but she didn't. She couldn't? Regardless of the reason and what common sense dictated, she didn't want it to end - not yet anyways.

It was a shame, such a shame. There would likely be some poor girl out there heart broken by the loss of this one. A destined lover forever with out their pair, a sister calling out for a brother that would never answer – family and friends, they would all feel the lack of his presence in the world. But as she continued to move and grind her hips into his, instinct began to kick in and override the short surge of pity.

His pulse quickened and chimed loudly in her ears, excitement building as it drove her senses wild. She brushed against him again, intoxicated by the hunger. It wouldn't take much to set it spilling free and have at it, the thought centering her focus back on the meal ahead of her. She licked her lips.

Another song finished and a fresh one began, the beat dying off to the rhythm of a love song. It was rare and happened by request, which sure enough the DJ announced moments after the singles took seats and couples swarmed to the stage in pairs. It was the perfect chance to ask Jou to leave. But as she opened her mouth to speak, the words caught in her throat.

There, back in the same corner booth, was the crimson-eyed rogue.

He seemed to find her surprise amusing, smiling as he nodded in acknowledgement and raised his glass of bourbon to her in toast. She was closer now and a searing heat curdled violently in her chest as realisation set in. She could scarcely resist the urge to shed her glamour for a pre-emptive strike…

He was no rogue. That energy… was a shifter's.

But how!? How had it gone unnoticed for so long? The feel of lycan stung the air in a way that proved he had no intentions of concealing it from her. It was her own fault she had overlooked it. But the nerve of him to look so smug about it! May they all be damned, this was what he had been waiting for!

Ashamed and angry her façade slipped and Jou took notice of her fiery gaze. He leaned in trying to comfort her, his breath tickling the fine hairs around her ear when he spoke, "That's him isn't it?"

He was checking over his shoulder now, following her line of sight to the shifter in question. She couldn't quite find the words to speak, but hummed softly as Jonouchi rubbed her arms. Her silence was enough and in less than a minute of forethought Jou squeezed Kaoruko's shoulders affectionately and went to confront him.

It was only then that Kaoruko snapped free from her daze to realise what was happening. Jou was going to confront her supposed ex-boyfriend and the shifter would no doubt reveal her secret or his own by doing something rash. If anything, it was now or never.

Without further hesitation she abandoned her meal to whatever new fate was dealt him and ran. She had intended to kill the young man so perhaps the shifter would be merciful and provide Jou with a better end than she planned. His chivalry was a godly gift that provided the opportunity she needed to cover her trail and slip away.

Fleeing out the front door she hastily marched down the flooded street in her useless high-heels, trying to set a good pace and thankful that it was still raining. Once she was far enough away the rain might be enough on its own to hide her scent and make further pursuit impossible. Yet there was no doubt in her mind that the shifter would follow as soon as Jou was dealt with so she needed to reach a safe place quickly.

With no humans around she paused to remove her heels then sprinted, scanning for a decent alley or building to hide in - any place capable of throwing off the shifter's ability to track or isolate her. It didn't matter if she was seen or not, any shifter could pick up her trail and catch up faster than she could open a portal home, but, if she was lucky, she would be able to wait him out and try hunting elsewhere. She just needed a place with many smells that would allow her to thin the trail enough for the rain to do the rest.

But she didn't have much time, in fact she was out of it.

Glancing back as she was about to round the block she saw the door to Maenad open and her pursuing shifter step out. Jou hadn't stalled as long as she had hoped.

Ducking into the next alley she did what she had to and shed her glamour, wings violently tearing from her back as the spell broke, sheering apart her dress as she desperately took flight. Yet no sooner had she evened out her course and looked down than she saw the shifter kneeling next to the remnants of her clothes. He would no doubt think to use them and do his best to track her, but by the time he found where she landed it would be too late and she'd be safely back in the Shadow Realm.

Flying higher into the storm, Kaoruko adjusted and headed east, favouring the skies above the commercial district which she knew to be practically abandoned by this hour.

The night was cool and the wind wasn't overbearing. The rain made the whole city glitter just as brightly as the starry blanket above the clouds, but she didn't dare soar that high, keeping relatively low and scanning the buildings for a favourable place to land.

Her hands quivered.

She had been so scared.

By the time she found a place, she half collapsed atop the old office building, soft wails escaping when the emotions could no longer be contained. It was a secure enough place for a meltdown: six stories up with a view that overlooked a main highway and residential roads but maintained a clear line of sight over all ground traffic. She would be okay here. Even if the shifter managed to follow by line of sight it would take him time to cover such a distance on foot.

Slowly she began to calm, rage replacing fear as shame nestled into place. Her pride suffered gravely now that she realised her mistake. It almost would have been better to stay and die than to become the next Weevil. No wonder Haga hated the name. At this point she should wished to be found rather than for word to spread that a shifter had frightened her off so easily.

But she had never seen a wild shifter before. It only made sense that he scared her. The shifters that the Hierarchy kept were tamed and confined to their beast forms, nothing like the ones in the stories that Haga told her about when she had first crossed over.

That coward, influencing her with his filthy paranoia. The little snot was old but clearly stupid, mentally regressed – and a liar.

So how then, how had his words been able to poison her thoughts so thoroughly? She knew better than to trust in his fear-filled nonsense and yet... she had. His stories had made her skittish and she acted on emotion instead of heeding to reason.

Foolish…

It wasn't just that it cost Kaoruko her pride and prey, but the glamour she had worn to appear human. Without that there was no chance to start again until she could recast it and that wouldn't be replenished until tomorrow night. She was weak and needed to feed. If she didn't do it soon she might lose her glamour altogether and get confined to the Shadow Realm again; even if living on the Other Side wasn't the best life, it certainly wasn't the worst.

Anger once again spilled over at the thought of returning to life beneath the Hierarchy's thumb. Her theropod feet reflexively scrapped at the cement, claws digging in as she paced and stretched membranous wings impatiently. She had to do something. The frigid shower of autumn rain could not on its own wash away or cool the sting of her shame. It was a bad idea to go back but she could not go home either because the others would know she had failed when she tried to produce a glamour and couldn't. They would ask questions, or worse - assume.

If she was incapable of casting then she would no doubt be taken back. She couldn't let that happen.

Her argyria coloured skin twitched in annoyance.

It was hard to believe that a shifter had been so close, as if the big bad wolf had actually existed and she had seen its face. She knew better though. The creatures of this world were beyond harmless – pitiful and predictable at best. There was nothing to fear here. She was the predator. Not some earth-born that had lived less than half a century. If she had stayed she could have twisted his words, called him a liar, denied all claims and made him out to be some crazy ex-boyfriend. He would have been arrested or thrown out but, for whatever reason, her instinct had told her to run and she followed that call blindly.

Stupid.

It was too late now though. Jou would likely go home or find someone else.

By the gods it drove her nuts just to think of it! She could always try to find another target but hunting without a glamour was dangerous. Besides, the shifter was still out there looking for her. Not that one shifter was much of a fight. This one was just… different. He came after her, not the other way around.

Not that anyone would believe her.

Shifters were pathetic, emotionally starved and dying of the very thing that made them dangerous. In a few more generations they would be gone and vampires could openly return to take control. And when that happened she would be ready, one of the first to seize power and carve out her own kingdom; just like a real member of the Hierarchy.

Perhaps leaving had been wise, if only to spare her hunting grounds from exposure. Everyone knew that after a 'murder' it could be months, to years, before humans forgot the incident and returned to the area in similar numbers. Haga was still struggling with that himself, possibly why he insisted on spreading such rumours about shifters in an attempt to save face over his 'accident'.

Taking a deep breath Kaoruko pushed the worry aside and moved towards the edge of the building, gripping tightly to the frame with her talons as she mounted the barrier and leaned out. The land around her was dark, no moonlight able to pierce the clouds as the rain continued to fall and beat a rhythm against the scenery. It was calm, unlike her mind which still raced with questions.

She knew she should go, a nagging at the back of her mind demanding that she open a portal immediately. But part of her wanted to stay in this world and return to Maenad, see if Jou was still there, and maybe… No. A human would ever accept her like this.

With a heavy sigh she lifted her wings to shield herself from the rain then turned, deciding it was time. She had stood long enough, letting her anger settle and now that it had she could safely cast the portal spell. With one last look at the open cityscape she stepped down from the ledge and toed the roof top. It was a flat enough surface to work with even if she preferred constructing portals against walls rather than having to fall through and reorient herself on the other side. Tonight would be an exception, not because she was scared, but solely to avoid further shaming herself.

Pacing out the size she began to draw the shapes, starting with larger features and working her way in. Unlike some she was not a natural with magic and had been forced to endure many years of arduous practice. She wasn't fast but she wasn't wasteful either, a far more precious and necessary skill here than in the Shadow Realm.

As she worked on etching the inner links, a string of curse words caught her attention. She glanced back and spotted a young boy walking alone along the highway, paying little attention to his surroundings as he tried to fend off the storm and fix an inverted umbrella. The wind kept undoing his efforts.

Even at this distance she could tell that he was small, light, and likely easy to carry. It was an unconventional method but an opportunity such as this would be stupid to squander. She watched him, waiting for an opening in traffic or for him to turn down one of the quiet side streets. If she was lucky he would cut through the park and –

Magic.

The sound of displaced air swirled and grew thick around her. Heat lapped at her skin and washed over her – enveloped her and froze her in place the same way an earth creature might pause when blinded by the headlamps of a car. It was the feel of a master vampire.

"No…" She blinked repeatedly, unable to process what her eyes deigned to be true.

"No, you can't -" Her voice betrayed her along with the rest of her body which shook violently as she observed the shifter from the club landing, black wings retreating beneath the folds of his jacket. "How?… How are you?… I-its… impossible."

Weevil couldn't be right. He was a liar, a damn coward. How could this – how could…

She took a step back for every one he took forward until her ankle bumped against the edge of the rooftop. Again Haga's words whispered in her mind, mocking and laughing at her fear.

"Yo-you're, the one they've been calling 'Yami' aren't you?"

He nodded, a cryptic smile curling around his words, "Playtime is over Kaoruko."

* * *

**Author's Notes**

For those who don't know Kaoroku is a villain in Season 0 Yugioh who is vain and cheats her way to victory during a popularity/beauty contest. She seemed like she would make a good vampire so I gave it a shot.


	2. Why the Look?

**A/N:** No mature content

* * *

o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Chapter 1: Why the Look?

(Yugi)

* * *

Raining again. Was it seriously too much to ask for one day free of rain? After an entire morning of classes and a full eight hours at work all Yugi wanted to do was go home and sleep. Navigating torrential rains and flooded streets had not been included in the plan. But here he was, wading through puddles with his runners gushing under the pressure of every step. He was positively drenched. Exhausted, and it would be another early start tomorrow.

Just his luck.

The worst of the storm was aimed directly at him, making it difficult to see where he was going. More important than himself though was keeping his backpack dry which held all of his classnotes and textbooks. He could only imagine the scolding he would receive if his USB got water logged again or if he lost his notes for a second time – not that university professors particularly cared – it was the classmates Yugi relied on to copy from who would distribute the lectures about not walking in bad weather. Too few were empathetic to his problems. Haiyama would probably tell him 'too bad' and to go buy a car… not exactly helpful advice for someone living on a part-time salary.

And it was times like these that he really did get to questioning his own logic for not owning one. The last bus from the mall ran about 30 minutes before he got off work and the one that took him to the school in the morning came an hour earlier than he needed. With a car he could sleep in and be dry but it would mean taking a loan, then paying for fuel and insurance every month on top of his current expenses – yea, not a likely scenario.

But in two more months all this rain would become snow which was much easier to deal with since it could be brushed off instead of leaving him soaked through all day. Then, the cars would be envious of him! No need for plows or shovels. Oh, how the tables would turn! Sort of…

But right now there was little humour to be found in his situation. For the second time his umbrella caught in the wind and inverted, blasting him in the face with water. He sputtered and flailed, water stinging his eyes and clogging up his nose as he swore and swung the umbrella like a sword, combating the wind until his coordination finally kicked in and he managed to reign the beast back under his control - tugging the broke spokes into place to shield himself. He would need to double up on the tape next time. All he could do now was hold it in place with his spare hand.

Maybe after the next pay cheque he would splurge and buy a new one. After getting groceries of course. And shampoo. Maybe some new socks… On second thought, tape was fine. Umbrellas were actually quite useless at keeping him dry even when they did work. New rain gear would be nicer but that was a fantasy. The umbrella acted as a barrier to protect his face and some of the back pack. He had the contents wrapped in a plastic shopping bag but even that wasn't always guaranteed to keep the water out. A small gap in the knot or a tiny hole and everything was ruined because his notes would lap it up like a sponge. Its why he had spent most of the money he made during the summer on a waterproof phone after learning that lesson the hard way.

At the very least he could be thankful that he didn't have much farther to go. His apartment was less than an hour walk from work and if he cut through the park it might only take him another 15 minutes. He'd had an opportunity a couple blocks back to wait for a bus at a different station but that one wouldn't get him home for another hour since it would circle the entire district before heading to his street. It was much faster to walk even if that meant getting drenched. After all, he was already soaked so there was little more the storm could do to him.

Feeling a chill, he buttoned the top snap of his jacket, regretting the decision to go with the fashionable choice over a practical one. The stupid wind kept funnelling through and cooling the wet clothing underneath; he should have worn his scarf to barricade the wind and retain what heat he had but he'd left it in the bottom of his bag. A silly mistake but it was choice he continually made time and time again. He'd never learn. He also refused to stop and get it. Maybe if he could find cover somewhere he would but for now he was determined to keep moving and get home faster. The quicker he moved, the drier he'd be. Or so he told himself.

Then his phone vibrated and he considered excavating it.

He'd have to let go of the umbrella's broken spoke though. And, out of habit, he always stored it in the inner pocket – just in case the water proofing didn't hold up to its name. He couldn't afford a replacement. With a groan he let go and unbuttoned his jacket, fishing for it as he exchanged the umbrella into his other hand. Once free he wiped off what excess water he could and tapped in the code to unlock the screen.

It was a message from Anzu, a photo of her and the dorm girls having drinks. He only recognised one of them but either way it wasn't worth responding to at the moment. Carefully he powered it down and tucked it back into his coat, knowing there would be plenty more photos and messages coming his way once the girls let their drinking get out of hand. As it would, since it always did.

At least someone was having fun.

Hearing the sound of displaced water Yugi immediately side stepped from the path as a speeding car approached, jetting water over the side walk in a continuous wave. He no longer hesitated to move.

What he didn't expect though, was for the car to stop…

With no indicators flashing it had pulled over and sat idling on the side of the highway. It was fortunate that there were no other cars coming but unnerving that someone would choose here, of all places, on busy road, to stop. People had often warned him about walking alone at night, getting mugged or abducted, but time had worn most of those fears away. Or at least he thought it had. Apparently the paranoia was very much alive and well nursed, because he almost couldn't bring himself to move.

Out of practice, because there was always time on these walks for discussing worse case scenarios with oneself, he looked for the closest building with lights on. He had always thought that if he was in trouble he would smash the nearest window in order to make his problem someone else's. No way would he be murdered without having somebody witness. If they wanted their window fixed, they would help him.

With trepidation he moved forward, giving the car a wide berth and committing the licences plate to memory along with the make and model…just in case. Doing his best to feign disinterest while inwardly suffering a small panic attack, he was nearly up to the passenger door when the window began to slide down.

To his relief, a familiar face.

"Yugi! I thought that was you, would you like a ride?" It was his biology partner, Ryou Bakura, and Yugi couldn't hide his joy in seeing him.

"Yes- yes, please. Thank you" Oh sweet angel of mercy. Deliverance.

He sounded absolutely exhausted, his heart having just experienced a marathon in his chest. He couldn't tell if his body was trembling from cold or fear but it was probably a mix of both. Still, he smiled, warm and utterly sincere before acting upon the offer and opening the door to the back seat.

Backpack in first, he shook as much rain from the umbrella as he could before ducking in and closing the door behind him. Inside the heat instantly set him on a course to sleepy time junction, his brain barely able to function as the overwhelming need to sleep took over. He was so comfortable… He hardly noticed the tense atmosphere until he sat up and squeezed his eyes open, catching sight of a distrustful set of steely-blues watching him from the review mirror.

And suddenly, he was very awake.

The figure seated next to Ryou looked to be roughly five years his senior with granite hair, cut just above his shoulders in jagged, uncontrolled layers. To some degree they resembled one another, the shape of the face, angle of the nose - it was enough to lead Yugi to believe that this was possibly Ryou's brother or cousin.

He tried to ignore the stare.

"Thanks, Ryou, I really appreciate this." His voice sounded weird in the silence, the sound of rain on the roof a mere static compared to the volume of his words.

"Of course, Yugi." Ryou turned to the man beside him who had yet to blink or break from his frigid stare, "As I was saying this is my lab partner, you likely remember me talking about him - and Yugi, this is my husband Akefia Bakura. I don't think you two have met before," Ryou introduced, ever the hospitable host as he gestured as best he could from the passenger seat.

Yugi tried not to look shocked but he had a poor poker face. Ryou must have noticed because his snowy skin lit up red.

"Uh, no, we haven't, its – um, nice to meet you Akefia," Yugi replied, drying his hand before offering it forward for Ryou's husband to shake. Seeing the icy stare dip to absolute zero territory, Yugi retracted the gesture and placed both hands between his knees to warm them, pretending like he had just moved to stretch or twist before looking innocently out the window.

"Oh stop it 'Kura." Ryou warned, giving his husband a playful swat on the shoulder. "Sorry Yugi he's in a mood today. He likes to be called Bakura by people he doesn't know rather than on a first name basis if you don't mind. Any ways, where do you live?"

"Oh right," Yugi laughed, feeling dumb for having forgotten such a necessary detail. "It's just a few blocks ahead. Normally I cut through the park but you'll have to drive around to get to the front of the building. So just up to the next lighted intersection, take a right then turn right again, onto the next street, and it'll be the second apartment building on the left."

"Not a problem. Do you usually walk home alone at night?" Ryou asked, looking to his husband who heaved a reluctant sigh before putting the car in gear and pulling back into traffic. Not that there were many people out driving this late.

"Yeah I had a closing shift tonight. It's only a bad walk when the weather doesn't cooperate."

Which was all the time…

Ryou nodded, the action only noticeable by how his hair lifted from the head rest, "Well if you ever need a ride home after class, I can give you one. It's on my way and it wouldn't be a problem at all."

If the husband wasn't such a stone-cold nightmare Yugi might have risked the awkwardness of a backseat hug. But Bakura was a mind reader and those steely-blues snapped to him with such force that Yugi flinched and guiltily diverted his gaze to the floorboards.

"Uh, that's kind of you… Thanks for the offer, really, I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. I don't mind walking, just the rain," he argued, hoping that by rejecting Ryou's offer it might dispel some of that fierce cold present in the car.

"Well it's supposed to rain Monday, why don't I pick you up and drive you to class? Our presentations are due and there is a twenty-minute set up for the lab later that day. We could get there early and start, that way we are not stuck staying late again."

Yugi let out a bitter laugh, "Yeah she sure knows how to screw people over with those long prep-labs. I don't know how some of the class manages to have courses after given how much they must miss."

"I know! I mean she is a wonderful person, very knowledgeable and passionate, but she gets a little too ambitious with the projects. Have you looked at the course outline and seen what's coming up this Wednesday?"

As much as Yugi hated to admit his failings as a student, he was not the kind of person with the spare time to get ahead, let alone look ahead. He was on more of a day-to-day schedule and squeaked all assignments in just before they were due. Ryou was the perfect student, not him.

"I haven't but it should be the… musculatory system if I recall right."

He had no idea.

"No that's at the end of the semester, next week is DNA sequencing. She wants us to take spit swabs and centrifuge them, add various catalysts, then prep them for cold storage. The lab manual has over twenty steps so that the material will still be useable for subsequent labs.

Yugi groaned, "I'll bring an over night bag in order to get acquainted with my new home. Dibs on the window counter by the way –" Ryou snickered. "–We are an hour late leaving when there are only ten and we are usually the first ones out. I can't see people actually staying to finish this but the DNA would probably break down if we don-"

"Is this it?" Akefia's gruff tone cut through Yugi's words as the car came to a halt.

He hadn't been paying attention to anything beyond the conversation but this was indeed the right place. Shame though, he always liked talking to Ryou and they had never met up outside of school before.

"Yes, this is it," Yugi confirmed, feeling a little cheated that the time had passed so quickly.

They had only met this semester but had immediately bonded on the first day to become an inseparable bio-lab duo. They worked well together, studied for tests together, and sometimes met for lunch - but that was really only one time and more of a coincidence so it probably shouldn't count…

He'd often thought of asking Ryou to join him though or to come over to his apartment to play games. Maybe get a coffee, anything really. He genuinely enjoyed their time together. He had never done so because Ryou always seemed so busy. Yet one of his favourite memories was during their first lab when they were dissecting a sheep's eye and Yugi accidently said 'occult' instead of 'ocular', derailing the rest of their lab into a discussion about Duel Monsters. That day had set the trend for every lab since making tedious work fun.

But after meeting his husband, Yugi wasn't so certain that asking Ryou out was a wise decision. He didn't need Akefia to start thinking that he was moving in on his man - not that that would ever happen! Yugi wasn't exactly that into guys, not that he had ever given it much thought – he'd been in love with Anzu since he could walk. So in that regard he was taken. Maybe he should mention that? Or would it be weird – blurting something like that out?

It was probably weird. And it might make things worse since it would show that Yugi had thought about it… in fact he should just stop this train of thought altogether. Just, get out of the car. Go.

"Um, yeah, so, thank you both for the ride. I can't stress enough how much I appreciate it."

He slid his bag over one shoulder and readied to exit the vehicle quickly so that the least amount of rain would get in, although his soggy clothes may or may not have already moistened the seats considerably.

"It was nice to meet you Bakura and I hope you guys have a good night. Um, see you Monday, Ryou."

"Anytime Yugi, have a good night yourself!" Ryou called after him as Yugi closed the door and set himself up with the right key for the lobby.

Waving back at the car, he hurried across the street to the front door, sliding the key home with masterful precision though he still failed to turn it the right way on the first attempt. With the door now propped open, he waved one last time, watching as the vehicle pulled away from the curb and drove up the road.

Stepping in he checked the mailbox which, surprise, surprise, was empty - like always – before heading to the stairwell and making the six-storey climb to his apartment. Indeed there was an elevator, but it was old and he only took if he had to since it frequently broke down and would shake violently on the way up. He'd had enough life-threatening experiences with it in the past to prefer the exhausting climb, even if it put him out of breath and heaving like an old man.

Still, this was home and the knowledge that he could soon rest summoned what little energy remained for him to make the final push. Only when he was at the top did he allow the backpack to fall to his side and get dragged the rest of the way. He had a cozy corner apartment with a splendid view of the parking lot and other people's backyards.

Kicking off his shoes he stepped inside, finding everything as he had left it which included dirty dishes in the sink, pages of homework spread out on the coffee table, and his pajama pants still on the bathroom floor. Anzu would be furious with him and call it a squalor, urging him to clean it up which he had no intention of doing right now.

His wet clothes hit the floor as he peeled them off and left a trail to his bedroom which had been left in equal disarray. He didn't care about finding new pajamas, fixing his hair, or brushing his teeth as he crawled into bed naked and rolled himself into the blankets like a croissant. The alarms were already set on his phone to wake him in the morning. There might even be enough time to do some cleaning if Ryou drove him. Maybe he would finally ask him to come over and play games. That was reason enough to clean.

In less than two minutes his breathing evened out and sleep took hold.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you guys like this first introduction to Yugi's life because it only gets messier from here on out


	3. Trials and Tribulations

**A/N: This chapter is rated T**

* * *

  
o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Chapter 2: Trials and Tribulations

(Yugi)  


* * *

Yugi smiled, gathering his bag and belongings from the car as Ryou parroted the same question he'd been asking all morning.

"Are you certain they will have it? I called a few places during lunch and most were out. I still can't believe I forgot it released today, things have been so busy and I completely let it slip." He checked and re-checked his watch as they walked, focused as if time would skip ahead whenever he stopped looking.

"Relax Ryou, I'm sure there will be a copy or two left," Yugi reassured, hustling to catch up as Ryou set a brisk pace across the parking lot.

Rain beat down around them, not a day going by this week without some precipitation. He was starting to think he might never see the sun again… But thankfully Ryou had been giving him plenty of rides to and from school over the last month. He only got soaked on his walks home from work now.

"As I've said, when people think of buying new games they rarely think to check Kame Games. I don't know if you have ever been there but we aren't so much a retailer as a 'gaming' store, in the sense that we host tournaments and sessions for consoles, pc, card, and tabletop. We do get a handful of new release games but selling is not our focus."

Ryou looked prepared for an all-out sprint. "Even so, I can't believe I forgot. I should have gone before class to get it," he paused thanking Yugi for holding the door before continuing, "It's just that Bakura is going to be terribly disappointed since he's been secretly writing this new campaign for my birthday and it won't be the same without the expansion."

A sly smile wormed on Yugi's face, "Not a very good secret if you already know about it."

"Yes, well, I know more about what he does than he thinks."

The two shared a laugh, parting for a moment as a crowd cut across their path.

Strangely enough there had been no mention of Bakura since Yugi had met him. Any time he attempted to make small talk and ask how he was, where they met, or even where he worked, the answer was always diverted to another subject or given a generic response. Yugi had simply stopped bringing him up. But Ryou's attempts to withhold thickened Yugi's interest. It wasn't his place to prod, after all, they had only become friends a short while ago; but he was curious.

Hopefully Ryou would open up before Yugi lost his mind trying to piece together how polar opposites could even date, but maybe he was being unfair. Akefia might not be as cruel as he imagined – the man was planning something very thoughtful for Ryou's birthday. And, speaking of birthdays, Yugi should probably get him something as well. Perhaps a figurine to go with the expansion now that he knew Ryou played. He could already think of three possible candidates that were in his price range and wouldn't make Ryou feel uncomfortable in accepting them. He would have to check the stock on them and place a new order if they were out but that was easy enough.

His work was located on the second storey, a fair-sized shop unfortunately situated down one of the side isles people rarely traffic, but because of the hill the mall was built into it had its own back entrance for after hour events. At first glance there was only a banking outlet and nothing more down that arm of the mall, but the shop survived where other small businesses failed thanks to its regular customers and solid reputation.

To say he liked his job was undercutting the sentiment. Certainly it didn't pay well, no minimum wage job ever did, but it was home - family even. The people he worked with, the regulars he attended, all of them in some way filled part of the hole that had been carved out when his grandfather died.

He realised some time ago that the void could be gradually numbed by immersing himself in games. In those worlds, he could be anyone he wanted. It helped to deal with the sorrow of being alone as well, especially after Anzu got accepted to her fancy dance school and moved away. Even with offers for a higher paying job he couldn't abandon Kame Games for a paycheque. Not unless it was a big paycheque. Then maybe.

The hum of a vibrating phone drew Yugi's hand automatically to his waist, only to realise that it wasn't his when Ryou heaved a long sigh.

"Bad news?"

"Hmm, no. Not really. I figured he wouldn't have to work tonight, but I guess I was just being hopeful." Ryou tapped in a reply and finished it before they reached the top of the escalator, mumbling to himself.

"Does he often work late?" Again, he was curious. What kind of work did Akefia do to support them both and pay for Ryou's schooling out of pocket? Or at least he assumed that was the case from what he gleaned and inferred during a discussion about Yugi's own bursary and loan situation.

"No, he didn't used to, but lately our schedules rarely cross. With my morning classes I sometimes don't even see him come home, nor does he see me on his way out to work in the afternoon. It'll be nice to have midterms and get some time off to spend with him again. It can get pretty lonely feeling like you're just by yourself."

Yugi nodded, fully understanding what Ryou was talking about. "Well you said he was writing a new campaign, right? I wouldn't have thought he was a gamer but it shows he's at least thinking of you."

Ryou's face warmed with a smile and touch of redness lit his cheeks. Only talking about Akefia had this effect on him. "I know and its awful sweet. He may come across as cold and distant but it's a mask to keep people at away. He cares deeply for those close to him" Ryou mused, his voice listless and drifting, mind wandering across old memories.

There wasn't much to say back to something like that so Yugi stayed silent.

He was envious of the way Ryou often spoke of his partner. There was so much pride in his voice. Did Anzu ever talk about him like that? It always seemed like her friends had the wrong impression of him. But maybe she did say nice things, all pink-cheeked and starry-eyed. He hoped so. He wanted to believe it was true but he often got a sense that he was never welcome in their group. He didn't really like them anyways.

After two months away from each other he hoped she thought of him as fondly as she used to. His heart yearned for her company, but unlike her he wasn't a social person. He didn't have roommates or anyone else to keep him busy. He left the apartment to go to school or work but that was it. The only people he hung around with were at either place. His home life was quiet and empty while hers was always busy and brimming with more names than Yugi could keep track of. They were very different people on many levels, but perhaps that was a good thing? Ryou and Bakura seemed to have made it work. So maybe he shouldn't worry so much about the infrequency of her phone calls or her one worded messages. It was probably just part of the long-distance thing. When he saw her in two weeks things would change again.

After a few moments Ryou returned from his thoughts, voicing them as he continued and branched off from his earlier swooning, "Our anniversary is coming up and I know this must sound terribly silly of us, but I've always loved RPGs and Bakura has never been one for half measures, so he goes all over the top with new, elaborate stories that the whole group gets together to play. It's almost starting to become a tradition and this year is shaping up to be one of the most interesting he's ever written."

It was hard not to share in Ryou's enthusiasm.

"I bet its exciting. Not everyone plans it out first but there's a lot of work that goes into DMing which many players don't think about. This expansion adds quite a few new classes and field types on top of all the new monster summons so that is another thing to look forward to," he said jovially; but really, he was envious again, now jealous over not being able to play this new campaign.

He hadn't told Ryou the reason he was knew there would be an extra copy of Monster World available, and that was because he had pre-ordered one for himself.

"I know and I'm terribly excited," Ryou continued, the statement evident in his tone as they turned down the aisle towards the game shop, "It's about a pharaoh and a thief who steals a precious item that results in a coup d'état and civil war between the prince and the pharaoh's brother. He's planning to make full use of the desert and jungle map packs and has written me in as a court healer knowing that I tend to prefer mage and cleric classes. He will likely work in the other's roles based on whatever classes they choose, but I honestly cannot wait to get everyone together to play."

Yugi smiled. How could he not? Ryou was just as passionate about games as he was and the excitement easily spread. "I wish I had a group like yours, I haven't played a full campaign since high school when a small group of us would get together at lunch. Still, I collect the sets and play at work the odd time, but normally as a fill in for one of the regulars if they couldn't make it, or if they have to leave early, generally whenever its slow and they ask me to," Yugi confessed, opening the door to his second home and holding it for Ryou.

The store certainly had the air of a new game release. Empty boxes were heaped by the door that would need to be broken down and carried out to the recycle tonight. On an average day the open room was usually pretty quiet besides the frantic clicking of a mouse or tapping of keys from the computer and console stations. But today there was a steady roar of enthusiasm and conversation that echoed over the patter of rolling dice. Even the round table at the back that sat twelve was full, surrounded by heisted chairs from the computer desks so that it could seat even more. All nine tables were full and there was barely anyone at the console stations.

Not only that but, looking at the crowd, many people were coincidently 'sick' today and had taken the day off. He couldn't blame them though. If he worked anywhere else, he might have done the same.

But release day was heaven for those doing the closing shift. With any luck Yugi would be able to get in on some of the action for an hour or two. That was the joy of the closing shift. The morning shift was a separate case entirely. Poor Jou…It must have been a long day given how his collapsed form sagged and barely twitched from where he lay against the countertop. A true professional.

* * *

  
o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

(Jounouchi)  


* * *

Two more hours and he was free. Just two more. He was almost there and it'd be over.

All that arguing was finally taking its toll. There was a line of pain cutting into his skull and a dull throb growing into a fist-sized lump right above his temple. It beat angrily in time with his pulse, becoming more aggressive every time a notification sounded from the main computer.

Yugi was due to show up in two hours and then he could go home to focus on Serenity. His personal life was stressful enough and he didn't need a headache at work to top it off but he had stupidly forgotten that it was a release day and hadn't come in early enough to set up before the crowds had swarmed. He was utterly exhausted now, regretting the choice to go home rather than sleeping in his car after the hospital had kicked him out. Choosing a comfy bed over a few extra hours of sleep did him no favours and his body was ready to crash.

With a deep sigh he leaned against the counter and pressed his forehead against the register's cold surface. As terrible as today had been, it was nothing compared to the stress waiting for him tonight.

With Serenity back to her regular check-ups and the last procedure leaving her in continuous pain, her vision still partial and failing to recover, it was no doubt a bad sign that they would have to operate again. The poor girl could only take so much. She had never done anything to deserve it and yet their dad would no doubt put all the blame on her for why the family was poor and couldn't afford anything. It was always about money with him. Could he not hear her crying out in the middle of the night? Did he not care?

She did her best to put on a brave face and hide the pain, but Jou knew. Serenity suffered more than anyone understood. But unlike their parents he couldn't just ignore it. Their mother was too wrapped up in 'natural remedies' and 'thinking positively' to be of any actual use, while their father had fallen into a cycle of numbing everything with booze and turning a blind eye; getting aggressive and pissy whenever someone brought up his drinking problem or money.

Yet as much as they all fought over Serenity's condition, Jou owed his parents enough respect to back away when they asked. No matter how badly he wanted Serenity to move out with him, there wasn't enough money in a job like this to support both himself and his sister given her medical costs. Not until he could figure out something better. All he could do now was remain supportive on the sidelines and be an emotional crutch whenever she needed someone to lean on.

The chime from the door brought on a fresh wave of nausea as Jou struggled to lift his head, reluctant to face any new customers about whether there were any copies of Monster World left. The answer was "no" damn it, copies ran out at nine. If you didn't pre-order you weren't getting nadda. Zip, zilch, notta-damn-thing. He was tired of being polite about it.

"Wow, Joey you look like shit."

The blunt statement strangely perked his mood. His saviour had come at last. "Yuge, ah man, you're early! Does this mean I can go?"

"Ha-ha, no. Nice try," Yugi tsked, setting his bag down at the edge of the counter. "I just came to get a copy of Monster World-"

If he had known Jou would make such a face, he would have had his phone ready. The look of absolute frustration and despair belonged in a suburban-worker edition of the National Geographic. But the dumbfoundedness slipped away just as quickly as it had set in.

"Yuge, you know its like two right? 1400 military time? We only got pre-orders left and don't start because I'm in no mood for any of yer mind games alright? Its been… a… long... day."

Yugi couldn't help but chuckle knowing the incident Jou was referring to, "Ah come on Joey, you know I wouldn't do that to a friend."

"Pft, yeah well, let me know if I'm slipping out of yer good graces then cause I can't deal with none of it today."

"Oh? And here I thought you were entirely innocent Yugi."

"Ryou please don't get him started-"

Jou burst in, "Ha! Oh man, does he have you thinking that too? Don't believe a word of it, he's sneaky that one. He will have you thinking he sneezes gold and farts rainbows if you let him."

Yugi was surprised to hear Ryou actually laugh at that, not expecting one of Jou's vulgar jokes to strike a chord with someone so politely mannered. Who knew?

"Tsk, you don't know that I don't! The next time I sneeze you might want to check the tissue," Yugi added, coming around the counter to grab a special edition of the game from their hidden trove. He set it on the counter and faced Jou's disapproving frown with a wide grin.

"Yuge…" It was a warning tone, but it wasn't like Yugi didn't already know Jou to be completely harmless and empty in his threats, "Whatcha doing?"

His punched his own employee numbers into the till, "Hmmm, selling stuff."

Ryou cut in before the game could play out, "Oh Yugi, no. Please, its okay. If there are only pre-orders left I will shop elsewhere. Don't get yourself in trouble"

Yugi sighed. Damn it… He had wanted to try Jou's patience just a little further to see if he'd actually try to stop him.

"Relax you two, this is my pre-order. Did you both seriously think I was going to sell someone else's?" He dramatically clutched at his heart in shock, pretending to be applaud by their assumptions about his character.

Jou snorted, clearly not amused. "Yea, yea, innocent, sweet little Yugi – heard this one before. You're such a dick." He was smiling, despite all efforts not to.

"I learn from the best, but honestly, I can't believe you were about to let me sell a pre-order. What if the person who ordered it cam-"

An arm covered his mouth in mock strangulation. "This is it Yugi Mutou, we both knew this day would come." Yugi easily ducked out of the hold and came up laughing. "You're just lucky you're so short."

It was an insult that usually stung but Yugi knew he didn't mean it like that. Jou shook his head and waved at the till, "Just do your thing and get out of here before I figure out how to make it look like an accident."

Perhaps Yugi had taken it too far but he couldn't control the laughter. "I'm sorry Jou, you're just such an easy target today."

"Yeah well I guess I started it with the whole 'farting rainbows' thing."

Ryou remained silent, his joy gone as though it had never existed. Looking up from the computer, Yugi's humour disappeared as well, "Is something wrong?"

He looked at his feet. "Yugi I- I can't. This isn't right. I appreciate it, but I know these special editions only come out on release day so you won't get another chance. You keep this one. I couldn't possibly- "

"Ryou, its yours"

"I can't-"

"Yes, you can! Listen, you have a group that's going to be able to play this with you looong before I will ever get a chance to. I ordered it because it comes with the dark magician piece, but I work here. If anyone has a good chance of getting an extra copy, it would be me, since I will know exactly when the next shipment comes in. You would have a much harder time tracking one down, so take this one and don't worry about it."

Ryou still looked uncertain but nodded his head. "Only on two conditions then. First, that you keep the black magician piece, and two: that you promise to come over and play some time."

"Deal!" He keyed in the final information before totalling up the transaction.

It seemed excitement finally won over and Ryou couldn't contain his smile, anticipation writ large throughout his body language as he practically danced in place, taking his first real look at the box and running his fingers over the embossed title.

The joy, however, retreated again when he saw the price on the register and sighed, "Yugi, that's not right. A regular copy costs more than that."

Yugi gave a gallic shrug, "It's a pre-order so I had to put money down. That comes off the final total."

Ryou shook his head, "Yugi-"

" ~Employee discount~ " he sung the words.

A frustrated sigh finished whatever Ryou had been about to say.

"You know, you have been giving me rides daily to school, and home, for weeks now without once asking me for gas money or making complaints. I owe you plenty for all the times you have gone out of your way to help me catch up in class, brought me snacks, and above everything else: I consider you my friend. I honestly don't mind. You don't need to feel like you owe me anything because you seriously don't."

He hoped Ryou would understand and capitulate, otherwise he'd have to buy it himself and leave it in Ryou's car. Despite what Jou thought he wasn't actually all that good at being sneaky.

Ryou's soft smile returned. "A deal then, but let me pick you up from work tonight. Its supposed to rain and with Bakura not home all I have to do is study anyways. I would much rather come get you and we can go out somewhere like a late-night café, or wherever, and make characters – maybe even have a quick game. "

"Awesome, we could always play at my place too if you want. I'll have to tidy up a few things to make space, but we can pick up dinner and get a full set up going. I don't work tomorrow so if we don't finish we can leave everything out and come back to it after class."

Ryou nodded, taking out his wallet and handing Yugi his credit card, "Sounds like a plan." The approval came through almost instantly and Yugi handed the card back along with a slip to be signed.

"Alright here's the receipt, now it's officially yours."

"Thank you Yugi, I can not express fully what this kindness means to me," he said, taking the box and holding it to his chest protectively. "I truly appreciate it. You said you were off at ten?"

"Yes, but by the time I usher this crowd out I suspect it will be closer ten-thirty. I'll message you if I think it's going to be earlier or run later then that."

"Perfect. Thanks again and it was nice to meet you, um-"

"Jou."

"Yes, that's right, sorry. Nice to meet you Jou."

"You too Ryou. And, word to the wise, don't let this one eat too many sweets. Just between you and me he gets a bit moody when he's-"

Yugi bumped his shoulder, "Quit it mom, you're scaring away my friends."

Ryou laughed as did Jou. It had been a long day for all of three, even if it was only half over.

"Okay, well I promise to take good care of him and let you know of any suspicious rainbows or golden tissues. Bye for now, see you at ten-thirty."

"See you Ryou," Yugi called back, giving a short wave.

As the door closed and Ryou disappeared, Yugi knew it was coming. He could feel Jou's grin illuminating the back of his head like a spot light, "Okay say it; I don't want you to strain a muscle smirking like that."

Jou snorted with laughter and Yugi moved around him to grab his bag.

"D'awwwww nice guy Yugi is at it again, bringing smiles and laughter to kids of all ages." He poked Yugi's sides to make him squirm until it could not be ignored any longer and Yugi had to bat the hands away.

"Well here I was going to go downstairs and grab you a coffee, but I won't if you're just gonna to make fun of me…" He faked a whine that sounded close to sincere.

"Me? making fun of you? Wouldn't dream of it bud – now, does Anzu know about your new boyfriend, or should I keep this just between us?"

"Oh hardy, har har," the comment earned Jou a fiery pout, "First of all, if you recall, Ryou is married. Second, I am still happily in that relationship with Anzu. And third, don't hate the player. Just because you have bad luck with the ladies doesn't mean you need to go all hatin' on me."

"Ooo and he strikes at the heart, twisting the knife for a killing blow," Jou mocked in his best announcer voice. "You know she was totally into me until her ex showed up right?"

"Mmmhmm, and thaaaat's why she hasn't called you."

"Ouch. Right in the pride. Yugi look, I'm bleed everywhere, oh how you wound me…" Yugi didn't bother to turn and watch the pantomime take place, "Heh, well I'm sure there's a good reason for it, I didn't exactly get her number but, I'm sure I'll see her around. A girl like that is worth the wait."

"As you say, but – and do take this serious – can you remember her name?" Yugi teased, dodging in case Jou tried to swat at him, which he hadn't, so now Yugi looked silly sitting on the floor.

"Tsk, nice," he offered Yugi a hand up but pulled away before Yugi could grab so he'd fumble fall back.

"You suck."

Jou snickered, "Yea, well just cause I know, don't mean I have to tell you. I think the real mystery is whether or not you can actually stop whining for five minutes."

"Well I-"

"Exactly, I didn't think so."

The dryness of Jou's tone couldn't guise the humour below the surface. They shared a look and the dam of pent-up laughter burst.

Jou was the first to recover and extended a hand to actually help Yugi up, "Dude you should just quit school and work here full time, I miss this."

Yugi wiped tears away from his eyes and took Jou's hand. "Yes because two sarcastic assholes giggling behind the counter is precisely what this place needs," his voice was still dotted with laughter, "To prove my point, you do realise that the computer has been flashing for the last, oh I don't know, ten minutes?" He bumped the mouse to clear the screen saver.

"Hey now… language. There are little ears here," Jou mocked, nudging his head in the direction of the tables where a rowdy discussion about a brothel was taking place, "Nerds are terrified of the real world, you might scare them with all this talk of responsibility."

Yugi shook his head and organised his things, "Right, right, whatever you say…. Now go do your job, you're on the clock."

"Well I would if you'd just stop distracting me."

Yugi stopped unbuttoning his coat and looked up at Jou with a raised eyebrow, "Oh? Well forgive me, I didn't know ~ "

"Hell no! I wasn't even paying attention. Just go, take your bag, grab your stuff, put your shit in the back," he said, waving Yugi off, "And stop giving me that face, I am a professional, and I'll have you know that I have customers to attend to."

"Wait, wait, before you go… you want me to stuff what in your backroom?"

"Out! Out! You're kicked out! Go, get. Shoo. Be gone. Banish yourself from the field, into the graveyard!"

Yugi was physically pushed through the employee doors.

But he wasn't done yet.

While Jou went back to the computer and accessed the notification menu to send out the five-minute warnings, Yugi prepared a mock show of taking the rest of his jacket. But Jou never looked.

"Don't keep lying to yourself," he called after him when Jou escaped onto the game floor.

Shaking his head Yugi pushed open the door to the backroom and unbuttoned the rest of his coat. He emptied the pockets of his phone and wallet, moving them into his jeans and dropping the empty backpack onto the floor. He put his books on a shelf for easy access later tonight. Hopefully he'd do some school work but he could see from the chart near his locker that there was a new custom order for him to work on. He'd only started painting figures for display but his boss had talked him into doing more and taking commissions since people were willing to pay for them. So much for doing homework…

Shrugging off his jacket he hung it up on the peg next to Jou's blazer, tempted to write a note and leave it in the pocket. Something smutty, or maybe just a fake number written with hearts instead of zeros. He could even google a pizzeria's number to use; or maybe not, Jou might actually recognise it. A creak and he turned to see that Jou returned to foil his plans, keeping watch from the doorway.

"Are you going out tonight?" Yugi questioned, gesturing at the blazer as he keyed the passcode into his phone and checked messages.

"Yeah and I'd invite you too but I know you've already got a date tonight."

Smart ass.

Yugi shook his head, not really wanting to get back into it, "Are you sure you're not making fun of me? Cause it sure soooouuuunds like you might be making fun of me. In fact, I might only have enough money for one frappuccino…"

Jou gave a none-too- discreet pout and traced a fake tear rolling down his cheek.

With a sigh Yugi locked his phone and returned it to his back pocket. "Extra caramel, no whip?"

"Thanks bro, you're the best."

* * *

  
o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

(Ryou)  


* * *

There hadn't been any messages from Yugi.

Ryou had driven from out of town on the assumption that Yugi was going to be late so he hadn't arrived until just after ten-thirty. He had expected to find Yugi already waiting for him at the backdoor like they had discussed, but after receiving no replies and waiting five minutes in the parking lot Ryou began to worry.

He sent another message, then called.

In all the weeks of meeting Yugi and picking him up for school, he had never once ignored a message or declined a phone call. He wasn't the kind of person to leave someone waiting on him, which was why, after no one picked up, Ryou got out of the car to try the door.

It was still raining pretty hard as he hustled up the steps but the game shop had a canopy to stand under. The door was secured so he gave it a series of firm knocks hoping that Yugi would be able to hear it over the rain. After a while of waiting though and no signs of life from inside, Ryou tried dialing again.

His heart fell in his chest as he heard Yugi's ringtone playing at his feet. Leaning over the rail he found Yugi's bag laying on its side, soaking in a pool of rain water with his phone laying nearby. Hanging up, he climbed down and looked around the landing, dreading the truth of what he knew must have happened.

He began to call a new number, praying that Bakura had his phone on him and was willing to pick up.

"Please, please Kura, come on," he pleaded, reaching down to investigate Yugi's phone and pull his bag out of the water. He could smell the blood before he spotted it further down the parking lot and it brought a surreal-ness crashing down around him, "Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up…"

"Kura!"

"What is it?"

"I need you - now. I'm at the west side mall, something's happened. Yugi- I was – I was supposed to meet him here but he's gone. I think they've taken him and-"

Ryou's frantic explanation suddenly went quiet.

"Ryou?"

Was that Yugi?

"Ryou!?"

He was silent until he heard the noise again, "I have to go."

It was one of the first times he had ever hung up on Akefia like that but he knew what he was hearing now and there was no time to lose. He was hardly aware that he still had Yugi's bag in his hand as he ran or that his phone was ringing with Akefia trying to call him back. Everything was wrapped up too tightly in a bundle of guilt and fear.

Rounding the corner, Ryou forced open the door to the underground parking and hurried inside. Immediately the smell and chatter of wolves held an overwhelming presence.

A groan of pain followed the slick slap of meat on concrete.

"Tell me."

"I don't know! I don't know!" came the desperate response, a cry choked by an angry fist as Yugi scratched and pried at the hand locked around his throat.

Ryou's phone went off again, echoing twice as loud in the enclosed space. It put a temporary end to Yugi's suffering as the clawed hand fell away from his throat and the mangled form collapsed in an exhausted heap on the ground. He was bloodied but alive. From this distance, it was impossible to tell where the wounds originated or how grave they were. He needed to get closer.

"Well, well, well, looks like he brought one to us after all." It was the one who had hurt Yugi that spoke.

There were five of them in total and not a one had fur or hands that weren't stained with blood. Two had already shifted into grey wolves and growled at him, taking point ahead of their humanoid brethren.

Ryou knew there wasn't much he could do. He didn't have a lot of combat experience and these wolves were much bigger than him. The only thing he did have was the ability to out maneuver and possibly out smart them, but that would only work for so long before one would inevitably land a hit.

He just needed to survive until Akefia could get here. If he could manage that, then Yugi would be safe.

He could do it.

For Yugi.

* * *

**A/N:** Any guesses on whats happening?


	4. Some May Call it a Curse

**A/N:** A shout out to **YamiYugiPuzzleshipper** for suffering through the edits on this chapter. If it sounds clear and your brain isnt struggling through mental gymnastics, its because of her. Maybe some day I will learn how to use commas. :D

**This chapter is rated T**

* * *

  
o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Chapter 3: Some May Call it a Curse

(Yami)  


* * *

His fingertips investigated the coarse surface, peeling away stringy clumps of damp tissue that he brought to his nose and sniffed. It was hers alright. A heavy breath escaped him, both relief and pity exiting in a steady stream of air.

He looked back over his shoulder and down the alley, imagining the struggle from this angle as she would have come racing through only to halt and stop for breath by the dumpster. It was an old trick that might have worked against a different kind of hunter but, with severe wounds, no amount of garbage could hope to disguise the smell.

He began to picture the scene in his mind's eye. She would have knelt where he stood, struggling to get up and faltering twice to leave the long, squashed impression on the ground. Yami did not have to meet her to know her. Her character was etched into the world around him. This stain was a testimonial to her unbroken resolve and another-on the far wall, the scratch-was a reminder of small stature could not limit the strong-willed. She had been petite and dark-haired but outnumbered by her assailants. Deep reserves of bravery stood firm amidst inexperience and fear for the life of her unborn child. Shifting had likely terminated the pregnancy but she remained adamant to protect it, offering up vital parts such as the side of her neck in exchange. If it was close enough to term and she had an emergency C-section, it might…

He shivered and forced himself to stop thinking about it. He couldn't save her or the child.

It was a mistake to become personally attached to these cases, and it had blinded him in the past from noticing the crucial detail. He had to stay numb and unfeeling - neutral to both parties. Only then could he understand why she was chosen and why it had happened. To add conjecture or bias into the equation would mislead him and result in more suffering because of it. Whoever she had been, she was beyond his help now.

Her fate was in their hands.

The only thing to be done now was to study the circumstances of her death and use it to help another. That would be her legacy.

The group doing this was clearly emboldened by their success as their abductions became more frequent and techniques more systematic. Whatever was planned, they had a clear purpose and knew he was on to them; too many red herrings made that obvious. But if he could only understand their motives, then he might know their next move.

He continued to trace the final steps again, finding where the trail ended so he could begin realigning events. He stepped back and breathed in the whole scene, mindful of where he secured his footing given the slick puddles of blood. She must have lain here for a while, trying to recover, before they found her and she put up a final fight. Why she had come here was still a mystery. There could have been a hidden den nearby or someone she knew living in the area, but, with no further evidence that she had been dragged or carried out of the alley, it confirmed what they already knew about vampires as culprits.

Yet, it didn't make sense; none of the recent killings or abductions had. Whatever these vampires intended to do, they chose very specific targets; first the young, then the old, and now the pregnant. He could not draw a line between them or understand the pattern. Perhaps it was random to keep him guessing and wasting his time drawing correlations when there were none. He had thought he'd noticed a preference of animal type but that had broken down when two tigers went missing. To his knowledge, there were at least thirty victims, and a long list of dead wolves their Alpha had been trying to hide.

The vampires had not started abducting the elderly until after they had stopped taking children. If he was right, then compiling a list of pregnant shifters and keeping tabs on them might let them set an ambush. But his shadowing of other shifters would not go unnoticed. Once suspicion was raised, the community would demand answers, and Yami would be targeted as the problem. It was regrettable but he'd allow it since the truth might otherwise cause a panic.

It certainly wouldn't make his work any easier.

In truth, there was no silver lining. Such problems kept him up at night, imagining alternatives and how to meet these challenges effectively. Many pieces were still missing but there was hope that any one might reveal the shape of the puzzle. Right now it was still difficult to know what he was even looking at. If he could only figure out what they wanted, it would become easier to predict their targets and intervene.

Closing his eyes, he thought back to when the first abductions had begun. It was a considerably fresh grudge given the far-reaching history of violence between them, but life in the modern world demanded compromise. It took a team effort to strategically place themselves within the human structure and they needed to rely on each other to infiltrate and influence where they could, gaining connections throughout the system in order to make it bend and flex to their will. Killings happened, but were regulated and treated as murder. After long negotiations they had learned to cohabitate, and keep the paranormal community hidden, but it was a constant strain and would inevitably fall apart.

Technology was advancing too rapidly.

The shifters did not have the numbers to survive a war. They had lost that battle long ago and discretion was the only thing keeping them safe. The vampires' inability to exist indefinitely in this realm had saved them from extinction, but had forced the shifters to agree that they would not grow their numbers by recruiting humans. In exchange, the shifters were left alone. But, if desperation called for it, that rule would be broken in a heartbeat. If the community learned of the abductions they might even take it upon themselves to start kidnapping humans for that purpose. The possibility opened itself to trouble if the Alphas could not maintain control and Yami had little faith in them. It was another reason why he would personally take the blame and outcast himself. It would be stupid not to.

Nearly five hundred years had passed since the last war, during which many of the elder vampires were killed, leaving a messy political structure behind. The vampires had only recently recovered. They no longer had a king but a council, a "Hierarchy" that provided some semblance of organization and control. Power struggles still erupted, but more vampires benefited from the mandatory cooperation than suffered. It was impressive but he was still uncertain how they had worked out such an arrangement given their vain nature. It proved effective enough that he had to commend it and started taking mental note of which vampires were indebted to whom. Still, the 'why' remained elusive.

But if it could work for them, maybe it could work for the shifters as well? They were not recovering but descending further towards madness.

Entirely dependent on humans and neglectful of their animal halves, they took solace in the luxuries and commodities of the capitalist life-style. It led to a selfishness and sickness in their souls – a complete breakdown of structure and what communal life in the pack entailed. Many would avoid their obligations except when it benefitted themselves. By sheer loss of numbers many clans disbanded, pack leaders losing control of their members who in turn lost control of themselves. The one sad redemption was the establishment of the Urukai, formerly the largest wolf clan, that now united and oversaw control for the majority of the city's shifters.

The major flaw, of course, was Gansley. His attitude and age were hindrances. Contenders for his throne already made moves in the background, scheming and garnering small factions of support that made loyalty as novel as any thing else that could be bought and sold. Other small clans still pretended to hold power but paid their tithe and took part in the Urukai dealings all the same. Everyone was leashed in some way. If the turmoil continued there would be war within and without soon enough.

It had to be stopped. And discretion was sorely needed.

It had protected everyone for a long time, yet this new generation failed to see its value. There were increasing reports of mysterious figures, disappearances, and attacks filling the news stations. It brought unwanted attention to their kind - vampires and shifters alike.

He took personal responsibility for the shifters, hoping they would learn how precarious their situation was before it was too late. But it was hard to get through to the other alphas and break their ties to the modern world. They did not understand, and it left them ill-prepared to cope with their inner nature.

That problem trickled down the ranks where it became a perversion of reality. A distorted fantasy.

Nothing in life ever resolved as smoothly as it did in fiction. The real world did not operate like the fairy tales or movies ascribed and there would be no 'great understanding' breached through deep 'heart to heart' talks or daring 'Romeo and Juilet' esque romances. The shifters that intentionally exposed themselves for followers or friends on social media learned this the hard way – sometimes from him personally. They became 'other-kin' to the outside world and whatever footage or images they uploaded were made into photoshop tutorials or otherwise played up as a hoax. No offender dared repetition and collective punishments were distributed in order to ensure that all members had invested interest in monitoring the community's behavior.

But that was neither here nor there.

The rain would soon wash away all evidence of this wolf and the final chapters of her life. Her media profiles would be closed and she would disappear entirely. In a few days he would know her name, see her face come across his desk, then delete it from the public record. Kaiba Corp kept its own records and he would store a piece of her there like a digital tombstone.

His eyes fell upon an imprint on the wall and lingered there.

He rose up and moved closer, adjusting his angle of sight to try and retrace it and commit it to memory. In the spray, he noticed, very faintly, an area where it had been wiped away for drawing runes. He managed just barely to see it and recognise it as 'ka', but the other symbols remained unclear to him. Without more he couldn't tell where this portal went but it was one he recognised from another site and the handwriting seemed familiar. If he had been a master vampire he would have been able to recognise it instantly, maybe even 'feel' whose magic had opened the portal as clearly as a shifter might distinguish between two smells. But, despite his best efforts, the traces were as lose as smoke, proving once again that his abilities weren't as good as everyone assumed. He was lucky enough to sense it in the first place given how weak he was right now.

A shiver of discomfort rustled through him, one more thing he didn't like to dwell on deeply.

But, from what he could tell, these vampires had teleported her after she had likely passed out from blood loss. After seeing the remains of previous abductees, for her sake, he hoped she had not survived this last assault and had slipped quickly into death. Her struggle had been arduous enough, the trail beginning blocks away at the park by the riverway. There, they had found marks on trees, uprooted soil, and three different blood sources – all signs of an initial brawl with those that accompanied her. The tragedy was that she had been lured by someone she trusted, and other shifters had betrayed her, attacked and weakened her for the vampires to abduct. If Yami had been ten minutes earlier he might have arrived to the scene on time. But they had taken their time at the park and decided to split up.

He had Mariku backtracking the approach, Athena following the escape route, and Akefia circumventing the area for anything they might have missed. He wanted to be thorough and trusted each of them to apply as much diligence as he would to the tasks. All of them wore radios in case they needed to get in contact, but otherwise the silence was a good sign that no one else's trail had run cold. Any indication of her betrayers - what clan they belonged to or where they went - would be more to work with than they had thus far. In truth, they had been suspecting shifter involvement for some time but this was first solid evidence that could expose the group responsible.

They had never been so close to catching them in the act.

Yami heaved a sigh, imagining the work that lay ahead of them.

If the Urukai tried to protect these shifters, he would have to take it upon himself to bring them to justice. It would cause problems between himself and Gansley, but that was no threat. What mattered would be whether he made an enemy out of the next Urukai leader, and he suspected that would be the case. Resistance to his inquiries and hold-ups on the investigation gave the whole Urukai attitude an unpleasant stink.

Not only that, but there was something else to be said about vampires and shifters getting along - it never ended well. In time one side would betray the other, and then all hell would break loose. Any major conflict between them would draw humans into the picture and force it into the open. New weaponry radically changed their circumstances, making the threat of a new purge more serious than ever. The humans would not quietly allow themselves to be recruited. If the vampires wanted, they could easily hide in the Shadow Realm and let the humans deal with the shifters before returning.

It was in the shifters' best interest to maintain peace at all costs.

And Yami was no exception.

He would sacrifice whatever was necessary to keep this from happening, his own pack's safety placed well above the others. This girl, who ever she'd been, was not one of his. It was a moot point, but the community kept repeating it whenever the Senjiyuu got involved. They weren't a police force; each clan could handle its own – he'd heard those excuses enough times to consider letting them fend for themselves. But Yami's concerns were bigger than their short-sighted desires.

Every time it was the same story: "Where were you when we needed you?". There was otherwise no desire for interaction until things got out of hand. The Senjiyuu were only appreciated when the vampires needed to be put back in line. It made them infamous; many of the new vampires and shifters knew them solely through rumours and some, revered them like gods. That fear was useful, helping to mediate conflicts without violence. But, in the day to day, the opposite was true. Few trusted them, and many refused to talk to them altogether. Collectively it had been decided that the Senjiyuu were monsters, ones that killed indiscriminately and planned to dominate everyone.

It was a misunderstanding, but one that stood on a partial truth. There were times, when elder vampires and alphas alike, used the Senjiyuu to dispose of 'disagreeable' members. With an opportunity and list of crimes, Yami had no qualms if it meant restoring peace and ending war before it began. Yet, each time the private praise was met with public shaming and condescension. The leaders scapegoated him for everything. Inwardly, he told himself it was fine - so long as they remembered their debts when the bill came due.

Yami rolled back on his heels, taking out some of the sting that had been firing up his thighs from squatting so long. He had hardly noticed the rain, until the thunder rumbled. They were on borrowed time now; the heart of the storm roughly an hour off, which left them just enough time to finish combing the area before everything was slated clean.

He rose to his feet and stepped clear of the blood, taking shelter beneath a small outcropping as the rain began to come down in sheets. It was truly a nice night – all things considered. Warm for autumn.

As the downpour gained strength a rhythm beat against the concrete, a melody that did not pair easily to the gray environment, but belonged with the greenery of the forests and fields. It felt stolen, made his stomach twist, and left him also feeling out of place.

He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake it.

He never understood how city shifters tolerated the chaos and confined themselves willingly to such prisons of stone and steel. Even at night everything was loud, overloading his system with a deep ache for the quiet chorus of the wilds.

He drew a deep breath, letting new air rinse out his senses and fill his lungs. He was eager to get back to the woods now and be at peace; no cellphone, blood, or bright lights. If there was time tomorrow, he would give himself the morning to sit by the lake. The city was suffocating and dulling his senses with its grey fumes, grey skies, and ugly sounds.

A car alarm went off and proved his point.

Reaching into the pocket of his blazer, Yami tugged out his phone and switched on the screen to check the time. It was still early in the night, barely past ten, so they had hours left before they would normally return. Although, given the circumstances, maybe they would call it an early night.

"Yami?"

He flinched and sat up at the call of his name. Mariku shouted loud enough that Yami could hear him both in his ear piece and in the next alley over. It seemed Mariku would never use the damn headsets properly. He also made no apology and aired his contempt for technology openly.

Subtlety was also not one of Mariku's fortés, which was why Yami had sent him backtracking and not out hunting like the other two. It was not to say that Mariku was not an asset; he was merely difficult and preferred head-on confrontations to reconnaissance. When surveying he would intentionally give himself away to pick fights and had the shortest attention span of a grown adult Yami had ever known. His notorious habit of wandering off was also infuriating, but it was useful as it kept Yami wary of the time and allowed him to set a pace that could keep Mariku occupied.

Stepping out from the shadows into the thin lamp light, Yami spoke into the radio knowing Mariku was close enough to hear his actual voice as well, "Over here, Marik."

A crash exploded behind Yami and he turned to see Mariku hop down from the dumpster he'd used as a landing pad. Apparently walking around buildings wasn't as amusing as scaling them, but he took it as a point of pride that Mariku had failed to notice him from up there.

"Good, so you are here. I knew I was getting close. Has anyone reported back yet?"

It took all of Yami's effort to hold a solid expression and not let his agitation show. You have the radio in your ear for fuck's sake!

He held himself calm, steady. "No. Is it safe to assume you didn't find anything?"

Mariku shrugged, tugging on his shirt in annoyance as it clung to his skin. Yami motioned to the dry outcropping but Mariku snorted at his offer, stretching his limbs and letting the rain soak him through. "Hide if you like but the rain is about the only redeeming quality to this shit hole."

Yami didn't disagree but still took shelter.

"And I didn't find much. I traced them back to a Burger World joint a couple blocks away, asked around pretending I was looking for my friends and the cashier said he saw a pregnant girl leave with her man and two others about an hour ago. That's it."

Yami couldn't restrain the surprise in his voice. "Her mate?"

"Maybe," he snickered as if it were somehow funny. "I sat at the same booth; tried to pick up any smells I could which were actually pretty solid. She was by the window, and I'm guessing the one beside her would have been her man. He had a strong imprint so if we come across it again, I'll know."

A soft smile tugged at Yami's lips. "That explains the smell of fried cheese…"

Mariku made an indignant sound, "I was hungry alright. And it would have looked suspicious sniffing around the seats without a reason."

Yami's smile widened. If anything, it was good Mariku had found himself something to do. It gave the rest of them more time and was surprisingly considerate.

The fact that no one had reported in was the main reason Yami hadn't called off the hunt. He could see in the way Mariku's muscles twitched that he had realised the same thing. It must have been torture for him to not complain, the bitchy attitude rolling off him as thickly as the rain. But like Yami, Mariku knew the radio silence was a good thing. It meant both Athena and Akefia were on to something and either could present the chase Mariku longed for.

Mariku let out a heavy sigh and kicked the dirt with the toe of his shoe. He was on the threshold of disinterest so Yami brought him up to speed on the details, if only to fill the air. Mariku's lack of interest was clear in his stance but he nodded and played along.

For a while.

"This girl is going to be dead before we get to her and its like you don't even care," Mariku sneered, cutting into Yami's explanation and making his agitation known. They both knew that between them Yami was the only one that cared.

The comment was meant to sting, to make Yami mad and drive him to act. Years of this shit kept him level-headed against it though and Yami shrugged it off. "This isn't a rescue mission. We can afford to wait a while longer."

He should have been more careful with his wording.

Mariku folded his arms and ground his teeth, the end of his patience near. Yami offered a sympathetic look to caution him but Mariku rolled his eyes and turned away. He was furious and Yami was wasting his time standing around like this. He didn't get how others could waste their lives doing nothing; being nothing. He turned back to stare Yami down but noticed the boy had closed his eyes and leaned up against the wall with a contented look. Mariku frowned, displeased. He had wanted to provoke him and prod him into action, but bit his tongue. He tried to mimic the pose and relax but it wasn't even comfortable. He fidgeted then snapped his eyes open and snorted in disgust, clicking on the mic, "Akefia, you done yet?!"

Yami checked his ear for blood and pulled the speaker away.

Mariku had turned his back to him so it was a wasted effort to bother hiding his disapproval. Even if Mariku saw it, the glare would have little affect since he had practically raised Yami and was more likely to laugh in his face than feel intimidated. Mariku's obedience came solely through his overwhelming desire for destruction, knowing that Yami would keep setting him up with targets if he stuck around. He was so full of hate and rage, a tragic and complicated past dictating his every action, but it didn't mean Mariku wasn't a prick or that Yami couldn't be angry at him.

But some forgiveness was due in this case. Normally Mariku operated on a shorter countdown so it was only a matter of time, and he'd done well to make it this far.

Akefia was more to Yami's speed, which was to say, the opposite of Mariku. He could be difficult to motivate at times but a true predator that rarely disappointed. If Akefia was on a mission, Yami would take it upon himself to keep Mariku occupied rather than hunt. With enough time to report back on his own Akefia would find something. He had a nose for trouble, as they say. If Yami called it too early they would lose their lead and waste time later.

He sincerely hoped Akefia would ignore Mariku and Athena would report in soon. She didn't often come along but tonight Yami wanted all players active on the board. They had been given a good lead and had been close to confronting the problem head on. That was what Mariku had been promised and why he was so pissy.

Akefia's voice came over the radio, "It's not what we are after but… it is intriguing. Five shifters and one is drawing runes; it's obvious they are up to something. I can keep watching unless you want to break them up and see what's in their box."

To Mariku's credit he didn't answer but turned to Yami for approval.

He waited a few moments to see if Athena would comment but Mariku's impatient foot tapping had begun to irritate him, so he broke down and made a call. "We round them up. Whatever happened here had witnesses and we can pick up the trail later. It is better to catch these shifters in the act now."

He could smell the bloodlust on Mariku's skin and watched his crooked smile twist, reaching an unnatural height for a human face.

Maybe after this Mariku would shut up for a few days and leave him alone.

"Location is seven blocks north of the park, three east. Approach from the south – heavy northwest wind," Akefia returned over the headpiece before radio silence resumed. He was farther out than Yami had told him to search, but that was nothing new.

"On our way," Yami replied, setting the pace at a steady jog as Mariku followed, trusting Yami to have understood whatever Akefia had said.

Athena beeped her radio so they knew she was listening. It was likely she was still investigating and would leave them to it.

From the park it was not hard to find Akefia – at least when he wanted you to. The fire escape was down, his scent plastered over it, and it lit up for them as clearly as a neon sign pointing up. They climbed and took cover behind the ventilation, surveying until they spotted Akefia hunched down on the roof adjacent to theirs.

In two signals Akefia indicated the places and, with a quick glance over the edge, Yami confirmed them. Five shifters: one guarding each end of the alley and three standing over the runes. Two carried a large box and placed it in the center while the third marked off quadrants, following instructions on a sheet of paper. It looked as though they had everything ready save for a few symbols.

The wet cement did not make the task easy but intricate lines built up a delicate design, an impressive feat that took a steady hand. It was a dead language but vampires had revived it to escape the Shadow Realm and cross the barrier to this world. Deciphering remained mostly guess work and there was no way these shifters could learn it on their own, not without the help of a vampire to instruct them.

They finally had proof of shifters and vampires working together. Now the question was why.

Yami did his best to memorise what he saw, not exactly recognising this particular layout or what each of the symbols meant, but they had to act before the shifters completed their work. He tapped Mariku's shoulder and pointed to the exit on the west side. "Close off the street and force him back into the alley. Rough him up but make sure he can still talk. We want to question as many of them as we can."

He sat up and turned to Akefia. The distance was too great and the radios didn't always pick up whispered words so he gestured instead. If Akefia could take care of the other exit, they could together shepherd their little lambs together and pressure them until one squealed.

But before he could give the signal, Akefia's phone rang.

All three shared stricken looks. Akefia fetched his phone and sent it to voicemail but it was too late. The shifters had heard and were looking up at them, realisation dawning on their faces. They must have recognised them as Senjiyuu because they scattered.

"Go for the box!" Yami ordered, rushing to the fire escape and dropping the remaining three stories to land on all fours. He regained his balance and charged the one still desperately writing runes. Mariku was at his side, clearing the way as he slammed into the closest of the two that had carried the box. The collision sent both to the ground and the second shifter lost his grip from the force. The box hit the ground with a sharp clatter, the unmistakeable sound of broken glass ringing as Mariku growled and the other yelped.

Claws and teeth elongating from human vessels on both sides.

Yami had the rune-maker pinned, but his hold on his arm made Yami cautious of pulling away. The teen was snarling and thrashing like a wolverine. His face was morphing and his extending into a fleshy muzzle of elongated cuspids. Readjusting his knee into the kid's sternum, Yami applied increasing amounts of pressure. His other hand wormed free and he used it to choke off his airway.

He kept the arm steady until the teen was forced to let go in order to breathe. Once he did, Yami pried the teeth from his arm and pulled away. The pierce marks were deep, pooling crimson. Thankfully, he'd gotten the kid under control before there was any tearing. One good pull from a bite that deep could have easily uprooted muscle. Admittedly it was an amateur mistake, one that reflected Yami's fault of being too gentle.

Grabbing the teen by the muzzle, Yami forced the mouth closed. He held it with one hand, the other pinning the kid's wrists above his head. The boy flailed, trying to roll out of his grip. Yami gathered his nerve and slammed the boy's head back into the concrete. He wanted enough force to stun, not kill. The body went limp and Yami rocked back on his heels to rise, leaving the body where it lay.

Yami took a quick survey. Remnants of sheared clothes lay on the ground. Mariku must have left to pursue someone that had run. Unfortunately, this meant there were still two standing guard over the box. He'd have to deal with them. Akefia was too busy dodging the claws of a shifted Bengal tiger at the east exit.

What a nightmare. Seto was going to lose his mind if any humans investigated the noise.

Yami knew he had spent too much time with his thoughts when he narrowly slipped out of a poorly timed grapple. The larger man barreled down on him. Yami swerved right, dodged, and ducked past him again. His eyes fell on the box. The stalky, raven-haired shifter noticed and stepped in front, prepared to meet his stride and block him.

What he couldn't expect was Yami changing the odds. The big man swung at an illusion. Yami kicked at his knee from behind. It cracked, the kneecap popping. The man landed in a distressed heap. Neither understood what had happened, but it put fear in the blond's eyes. Yami knew, if he cornered him now, he'd tell him everything he wanted to know.

He stepped forward and the blond began to run. Yami cut him off, and he fell back.

Yami might not have been as bulky as Mariku or Akefia but he was fast and agile. His opponent flaunted hours of gym muscle, thick and bulky, that was crafted solely for the purpose of display. He clearly did not know how to use it, his movements too wide and untrained. They were wild swings that Yami easily danced around. Which was good. He wanted him to tire and surrender on his own.

But the fact that he nearly caught Yami's blazer proved a point. Yami dropped his shoulders, let it slide down, then tossed it aside. That freed his mobility a great deal. The linen shirt beneath fit tight to his core and left his arms bare. It was less material to grab. Less to get caught if he needed to shift.

He caught the blond glance away and listened. The soft click of claws alerted him. The shifter with the busted knee lunged for him, Yami dodged, and the hyena skidded to a halt. It rounded on him again, favoring only three legs as the injury carried over.

The next attack was coordinated.

He dodged the teeth, but the big guy's swing caught the side of his head. It glanced off, near the temple. But it left Yami surprised. He managed to catch the second swing and push it aside. He needed distance before the hyena could get to him.

A fierce wind kicked up and separated them. It swirled around him and he had to kneel in order to stay aground. He couldn't see through it but heard the hyena yelp.

Athena was nearby.

There was a ruffle of thick feathers and then the wind died off. The tiger bellowed as it turned to flee.

Not one of the shifters seemed to understand what they were looking at, staring up at her as if Athena were a two-headed chimera. In body she was a wolf, but proud wings mounted on her shoulders and fanned like an owl's. Of the five of them, Athena was likely the least strange; yet, her inability to return to a human form left her subject to a majority of ungodly stares.

Part of him wanted to shield her from view but the secret was already out. They had all agreed to let it happen. The Senjiyuu could no longer continue to hide and that included restraining their true forms. War was coming and there was no longer a need to delay the inevitable. Maybe seeing this would wake the shifters up.

Athena landed and paced forward, startling the hyena into action as it turned tail and fled. That left one-

"Stop him!"

The command made Yami whip around, seeing what Akefia was referring to seconds before it happened – it was the kid that had bit him. He had crawled back to the rune to finish it while others had distracted them...

Just as Akefia called, the rune sparked and ruptured in green flame that spread along the etched lines and burned until it consumed the entire box in a spire of hot emerald.

They rushed in but none could stop it.

Yami growled low in his throat. His eyes dilated and began to glow as he grabbed the kid by the collar and dragged him to the wall, slamming him against it.

"Where did you send it?!" He slammed the kid again before he even had a chance to answer.

Akefia's phone went off and Yami rounded on him angrily. "Silence it!"

Athena looked between them, confused and clearly not understanding. But Akefia coolly ignored the order and checked his phone. Seeing that the remaining shifters had taken off, he answered it.

"Ryou?" He could practically feel the heat of Yami's glare between his shoulders as he turned his back. But the moment he heard the panicked tone of his mate, nothing else could have mattered more.

A yelp escaped the shifter beneath Yami's hold as claws unintentionally extended into the kid's shoulder. It was not enough to distract Yami's attention, however. His eyes were still on Akefia, furious as he stared him down.

Ryou knew better than to call and Akefia knew better than to leave his phone on.

"Ryou? Ryou! Are you still there?" There was an ominous silence as Akefia stood frozen in place, his gaze distant.

When the phone lowered, Yami knew something was seriously wrong. Ryou didn't hang up on someone-and never on Bakura.

"Fuck." It was the single most heartbroken sound Akefia had ever made. Yami felt his own heart ache in reply. The anger quickly subsided, his grip slacking on the shifter as worry set in.

"What's happened?" Athena stepped forward to nudge Akefia with her head when he didn't respond.

Even Mariku returned now, jogging back into the alley with his forelimbs stained up to the joints, his mouth dripping with blood. "I heard shouting."

Yami spared him a glance before turning back to Akefia. He was trying to call Ryou in the same desperate way a drowning man panicked for breath.

No answer came as Akefia broke off in a full sprint.

Yami scanned their faces. "Follow him and keep me updated."

For once Mariku did not need to be told twice.

Athena watched, uncertain whether she should stay or go. "You'll be fine on your own?" she asked, making her own decision. Yami gave a curt nod and that was it; her heavy wings unfolded and, in four gusts, she was airborne and invisible against the night sky.

With this new upset, they were down about four captives and a box, and possibly had even bigger problems on the way. With more important issues waiting, Yami turned his attention back to the half-shifted creature still held against the wall. "Name?"

The shifter looked startled, perhaps initially surprised that he was still going to be interrogated and not killed. "R-Rex."

"Rex what?"

"Rex Raptor."

Good, a straight answer.

"You are Urukai?" Yami already knew the answer was 'yes'; the stink of city shifter rolled off of him in volumes, but he wanted Rex to tell him that. As a sign of good faith, Yami eased his grip on Rex's shoulder and set him level with the ground. However, he kept his hand there as a reminder in case the punk tried something. He didn't trust Rex not to lie or be an idiot – he was young and bound to be stupid.

"Yes." There was fear in that voice, a little defiance too.

"Where did the box go?"

That steak of defiance shone in his eyes. He was clearly toying with the idea of lying. Yami ended the thought with a sharp strike to his gut. "Not in the mood," Yami warned, giving time for Rex to recover and catch his breath.

Rex wavered against the wall, head lolling back with acceptance on his face. "Fuck you."

Fine. Rex wanted a lesson in consequences.

With little reluctance, Yami reached out and grabbed Rex's left arm. He held it, giving him a moment to reconsider his options. Then he tugged it, alerting Rex to his intentions. Slowly, Yami applied more pressure, watching as Rex's face contorted with pain. The boy bit his lip to remain silent. But they both knew it would not last long if Yami continued.

Seeing that an answer was not forthcoming, Yami repositioned his hands to his shoulder and wrist. He tightened his grip, planning to finish the act in one pull—

"Don't! ... Don't…. I'll talk, I'll talk. Just… stop."

Yami had a victorious smile. "Information's not worth having an arm torn off? Remember that, because I don't have time to fuck around." He released Rex's arm and rephrased the question, "Who did you send it to?"

"To a vampire, I don't know the name, just the face. Dark hair - real long, and pale skin. He's tall and thin with green eyes. I – I don't know what else to say!"

He hadn't expected Rex to drop a name. But he must have taken the threat seriously to have offered up such detail. He growled out his next question anyways, leaning closer so that they were nearly nose to nose, locking his eyes with Rex's pale blue ones. "And what was it you sent this vampire with no name?"

Rex looked away, shame or guilt claiming his mind as he shut his eyes and took a deep breath, his voice a mere whimper when he spoke. "Blood."

Yami sat back. "Blood? Anyone's in particular?"

Rex drew another shaky breath. "Mine."

"Just yours?"

"Mine and the others that were here."

Yami clicked his tongue. "I see. You were sending a vampire your blood… Do you have a deal with him?"

His eyes widen but he continued to avoid Yami's gaze. It was obvious that Rex had something to hide, but his answers so far remained direct and truthful.

Maybe Yami had not hit upon the right questions yet. There was something in Rex's tone that was unsettling. The kid had risked his life to send that box and they had all stayed to defend it. If it was only blood, they could have fled and extracted more later.

"Kinda... He, he kind of offered us protection if we paid with blood."

It made sense yet didn't hold up with what he knew of Otogi. That man was a plotter, a thinker with a devious mind. He wasn't the kind of vampire that forced protection deals, but would swindle someone blind with honeyed words if they let him. He must have made them some kind of promise; whether it was for protection was hard to say.

There was of course a possibility that it was not Otogi, but another. Yami doubted that. The whole business stank of his profile.

"And what exactly is this vampire protecting you from?"

The question invoked a reflexive stiffness in Rex's body.

It seemed they were finally hitting on those questions Rex didn't want to answer.

Realising his body betrayed him, Rex hung his head. A few moments passed, and Yami was not sure if he was going to lie or not, when Rex began to shake, tears rolling down his face. He did not know what part of the questioning had brought this on, but he remained quiet as Rex whimpered and broke down in front of him. He even let the kid lean in against his chest when he reached out for comfort, but he drew the line at letting Rex lick his face-he wasn't his alpha.

But what was there to say? This had never happened before. There had been tears during other interrogations, but those were faked or brought on by pain. Rex was just breaking down; shutting down, in fact. The longer it went on, the less likely Yami would get any more answers.

"Rex" - he said the name softly, but firmly enough to make him look up- "I don't know what he told you but vampires are not your ally. The clan will protect you. Speak to your Alpha instead."

This was difficult. He needed Rex's confidence. If he could get more answers by showing Rex he was someone to trust and confide in, then so be it. He would let the kid cry into his shoulder. "Vampires could use that blood for a number of things. In the past, they have used shifter blood to make poison and other toxins. What you are doing affects everyone and you can't just-"

"Shut up!" Rex's sobbing morphed into rage as he shoved Yami back.

He blinked owlishly and allowed Rex the space, watching as he recovered his breathing from yet another explosive episode.

"Y-you think you know what's going on? You think you know what its like? You… Senjiyuu! You know nothing! You come in here, acting like you care, but I know better! I know you don't – you don't fucking care!"

He paced as he shouted, another round of weeping following before rage helped Rex regain control over his tears.

"You only care about you and yours, so don't expect me to sit here and listen to your bullshit. The rest of us suffer while you... YOU" - - He grit his teeth and stepped forward, grinding his finger into Yami's chest-"watch idly and let this happen! You don't care what happens to me! This only matters because you're afraid they're-"

"Enough!" Yami slapped Rex's hand away and squared his shoulders. These accusations were drawing at a line. He was still angry but had to remain in control; hitting Rex would be of little use at this stage.

Yet, there was something in what Rex was saying that sparked a thought - he'd mentioned himself. Those words tugged on Yami's attention, bringing him to study the shaggy-haired teen more closely.

He made eye contact and the realisation dawned - Rex had not fully shifted back to human yet. His matted brown hair had streaks of silver poking out from beneath his red toque which were tuffs of coarse wolf fur rather than smooth human hairs. He checked Rex's hands and, sure enough, the claws were stuck there.

"Tell me, Rex, how long does it take you to become fully human again after you shift?"

Yami knew he hit the mark when Rex's pupils dilated and his mouth dropped open in sheer terror. It was enough of an answer - he knew what Otogi had promised them now.

Yami turned away, stooping to pick up the slip of paper Rex had dropped that showed him how to draw runes. He spoke from over his shoulder. "He's using you. There is no cure for what you are going through. You will either conquer your beast or turn permanently. It's up to you to determine whose master and take control; no syringe or potion is going to change that."

Yami's words struck home and Rex felt each as a stab at his heart. He fell to his knees and hugged himself, the heartache taking full control as he watched Yami leave.

It was all the information Yami needed. He picked up his coat and retrieved his phone to dial Mariku. Hopefully they were able to resolve whatever problem Ryou was having.

* * *

**A/N:** Before anyone asks, Athena is a Yugioh character and not an OC. If you need help guessing, google 'athena yugioh' and see if the card can help you figure it out ;P


	5. What Dreams May Come

**This chapter is rated T**

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o.o.0.0.O.0.0.o.o

Chapter 4: What Dreams May Come

(Yugi)

* * *

Unconsciousness claimed him and set him adrift. A winding river stretched out beneath the canopy of a moonless night, his body half submerged into the unbroken surface. Above the stars were clear and bright, reflecting a rainbow of colour into the onyx waters around him, that danced with the singing waves along the shore. Serene stretches of overreaching branches funneled his vision heavenward, the sky filled with twilight colours and pale diamonds, glistening together like fireflies in the deep latticework of the night. Thick trees formed up like sentries on the riverbanks, fortifying a wall of greenery that gossiped among themselves with each pass of wind.

A real rush of air shifted his hair, pieces tickling the side of his nose and making him aware of his body again. It may have been small, but the disturbance drew Yugi's attention from the dream. Outside pain and misery prowled the edges of wakefulness, and he did not want to linger there.

Instead, he raised a hand to drown the hairs, submerging them fully in a broad halo around his head. For the first time since he had been asleep, he moved, becoming aware of the forest watching him - faces peaking out behind burls and roots, small children gathering in shadow, bodies aglow and luminescent silver.

Yugi tensed, fear soaking into his mind as he noticed them. He wanted to be alone; he needed to be. It was only when he was alone that he felt safe any more, secured in isolation. Unafraid to be himself. Years of abused trust wore out his sociable nature. There was a small suffering that accompanied all interactions with strangers, and he was tired of having his faith betrayed, of being used and discarded, time and time again. It was better to be alone, guard himself, and shelter his heart so no one could hurt him.

But, as he watched, his brow began to unfurrow. Recognition set in. He knew them; the ethereal crowd was a portrait from his past. They had been his childhood friends and neighbours. They were the people he had grown up with and never expected to see again. Some, he was happy to remember, a smile working the corners of his mouth as pleasant memories came to mind. It was strange to think of them as ageless. He knew they were are older now. But, as they called to him and waved, acting as though the they were all still his friends, he could not help but feel joy.

To think that there had once been a time without tags or labels, no rumours or shaming. Just friends, and games, and laughter, and fun. Why did that all have to end? Why couldn't one mistake have been forgiven; was it really such a crime?

Silent tears graced his cheeks. He would not have even noticed if one had not slid over his ear, making him shiver. Wiping at his eyes, Yugi watched as the earlier apparitions began to disappear, their clouded bodies paling before drifting off in soft wisps of smoke. He wanted to go with them. Disappear into the stillness. Pause time and stop moving forward.

Part of him wanted to give up. To let it end. He thought of it sincerely, but a piece of him stood vehemently opposed. It echoed back, refusing to accept the path fate laid out. Mentally he found himself stuck between these two desires. He was in the middle, battling with the lie he had held dear to him for far too long. In reality, he did not want to be alone any more. He wanted, desperately, to have at least one friend he could depend on. He was tired of every relationship falling apart. His needs, their needs - he always put others before himself, and too few reciprocated. He worked hard to keep every friend he had ever had, and yet, he was still alone.

First his parents, then his friends, and then… his grandfather. Everyone went away. It was something he had come to accept, but still feared.

More tears budded in the corners of his eyes, liberating themselves in a steady stream that flowed along his nose, across his jaw, and down to his neck, before joining with the starlit river. He had promised himself he was over this, choking on his next breath as a whimper escaped. He tried, so hard, to put the past behind him… To let it all go, move on, but it was always alive in his heart. It haunted dreams.

Somewhere, deep down, in the jumbled collage of thoughts, he knew this was a dream. But that fact had not stopped him from enjoying the tranquility until now. He was faced with a choice. It was time to give up on wishful thinking and the childish notion that the past could change. Only the future mattered; a grim, dark, and pain-filled future that loomed on the horizon of his consciousness.

He did not want to face it. He averted his gaze from the shore and watched the sky instead.

The current gained speed.

Yugi sighed, a heavy breath sinking in his chest as he blinked and more tears snuck free. He was tired of hanging onto the pain; tired of hurting and opening his heart to people. Each fresh heartache tore him up and left him a hollowed vessel. He was emptied, spent, and was done exposing his heart to the elements. If it meant being alone forever, then so be it. He was already fragile and drawn too thin. There was nothing left to give.

More ghosts emerged from the jagged shores of his past, climbing out from the muddy banks like clay dolls. As the light of life settled in their eyes, his middle school friends took form and began to chase him, gleefully following from the land and shouting for his attention. It was a similar sight to when Yugi's parents used to drop him off early before school to play.

These ghosts looked as though they hadn't aged, still only ten years old, and unaware of the falling out that was to come.

If only he hadn't trusted them. If only he'd kept his feelings to himself. If only, if only…

He learned the hard way to close himself off and emotionally detach. It was an act he applied daily for customers and faking interest in boring lecture topics. All it had taken was a single day, one secret, and he earned an entire school's scorn and mockery. He hated to recall it, even now. It had been ages since he thought of their faces considering what happened. He had been nine, one year their junior, and had the biggest crush on a boy from their soccer team. Foolishly he confided in his friends about it.

Anger flared in him, and without notice the scenery shifted. The ghosts began dispersing and the current once again gained speed. It slapped viciously at the shoreline, churning and uprooting clods of dirt that stained the water brown.

Yugi had tried so hard to forgive them. He blamed himself for their misguided words and cruel acts. They had been young, stupid, unaware of how their teasing tore up Yugi's world. It had laid the ground work for countless days of bullying and he had never escaped their criticisms on his own. The rumours followed straight into high school, and it all would have continued, if not for Anzu…

Anzu. He missed her so much. They had been inseparable as kids - fishing, playing, swimming - spending the better part of their summers together at the lake. Their families' cottages shared a property amongst everything else. Both they, and their parents, had been good friends. But, everything changed after the accident. His grandfather was determined, but no miracle worker. The acreage had been taxing on Yugi's father so it only made sense for Sugoroku to sell. Yugi understood, but, quietly, he resented his grandfather for it nonetheless. He had not seen Anzu until high school because of it, a painfully long departure from his best friend given all that had happened in between.

But it was Anzu that saved him from the rumours and bullies. All it had taken was a kiss on the cheek. Even the girls that had once teased and rejected him began to ask him out and follow him around like love-struck groupies. But, it was hard to trust their compliments. Their actions held no sincerity. No matter what they said, or did, none of them could hold a candle to Anzu when it came to Yugi's heart.

She may not have been the most popular, or even the most beautiful, but to Yugi she was perfect. There was no other. Anzu was his everything; his angel, his goddess, his first love.

She was the one who mattered, who changed his life and gave him hope again. She chased away all his demons, lifted the curse, and mended the remnants of his tattered soul. High-school was one of the happiest times in his life thanks to her. But, just as high school was ending, and he couldn't have been happier, she had to go and ruin everything.

She had dated before, in fact there was hardly a time when Anzu was not taken, but, unlike then, Yugi finally had the courage to ask her to the spring dance. She already had a date and turned him down - nothing he did not already expect, but what broke his heart was the phone call at two in the morning the next day.

He could still remember racing out to meet her at the park, completely unaware that he had his shirt on backwards from dressing in the dark. She was sitting on the swing, still in her gown, corsage tossed to the side with her head bowed, moving the sand idly with the toe of her shoe. She looked up when she heard him approach, eyes stained with thick mascara lines.

No words were needed. He knew what her date had done, what he had stolen, and foolishly discarded. He held Anzu until sunrise without a word, silently crying with her as he kissed her hair and finally spoke the words he had long held back; "I love you". It may have been wrong to say it when she was vulnerable, but given the way she kissed him, the fact that she said 'yes', and asked him to be hers from then on, he would do it again, without hesitation.

They dated through the rest of their senior years, best friends and, the 'cutest couple', as her friends put it. Nothing particularly changed between them other than parting kisses and handholding that started to accompany every outing. He did not mind. He understood Anzu's reservations about taking things to the next level. He never pressured or asked. He wanted something far more precious than her body. Something no one else deserved to have.

By the time graduation rolled around, things had grown more serious between them. He saw a side of Anzu he never expected, though thoroughly enjoyed. They had still never taken things 'all the way', a fact which grew more frustrating each time Anzu left him to awkwardly sort out his 'problem' on his own. But, that was hardly their biggest concern.

With four months left until to graduation, Anzu received her acceptance letter for the dance academy she had always dreamed about. It was fantastic news, something Yugi should have been happy about. But, it meant Anzu would move once summer began. To Yugi, it may as well have been the apocalypse come early. He had received his own art scholarship in Domino and it was foolish to move with her, a point they argued over many times.

Yugi wore down, conceding that it would be a waste to give up the scholarship and pay for a full education elsewhere. And yet, he did not want it to end; he didn't want to break up. He knew Anzu did not believe in long distance relationships, and that no matter how many times they argued, she still insisted they return to just being friends.

After one particularly heated argument, in a fit of emotion-induced bravado, he dared her to end it - right then - walk away and not come back, if that was what she wanted. Why wait? Why slowly crush his heart and make him suffer? Unfortunately, she did not hesitate. She did as he asked. And took every piece of his heart with her at the slam of the door.

Yugi didn't go to school for two months after that. He was depressed and spent every day in bed, each day passing more quickly than the last. It was not until his grandfather forced him, that he went back to school. There was barely enough time to catch up on assignments and repair his grades before the semester ended. He managed, set to graduate with honours, but took little pride in it knowing Anzu would be at grad with someone else.

It hurt to be near her. To see her smile, or hear her laugh. It hurt just to know that she had already moved on and adapted to a life without him.

They barely talked. A few words, here and there. It was hard not to cry whenever they parted company. He was so used to greeting her with kisses, holding her hand and escorting her to and from class. He caught himself, often, waiting by her locker without thinking, only to hastily retreat as she approached with the new boyfriend in tow.

They could not even be friends any more. Anytime Yugi tried to hang out with the same circle of friends, HE was there too. Touching, groping, kissing – always with his hands on her. He quickly learned to stay away, ignore any offers to go out when the group got together. He could not handle it.

Within two weeks of returning, Yugi had isolated himself entirely. His one wish was for the final month to pass quickly, then he would never have to see any of them again. A few girls asked him to be their date for grad, but he declined. He only wanted Anzu.

In the background of this drama, his grandfather's health had started deteriorating. He needed more help around the shop and enlisted Yugi to cover for him. Instead of going to grad, Yugi chose to stay home and tend the counter, happier than he would have been if he had dressed up for the sake of some silly sheet of paper. Besides, it would have been torture to see Anzu wearing the mermaid-coral dress. They had spent days picking it out before the break up. Instead he had been content to pick his diploma from the school later, a point his grandfather, for once, did not argue with him on.

Then, six weeks after graduation, the heart attack happened. His grandfather died before the ambulance reached the hospital. Word spread, and flowers arrived. Half-baked apologies and showers of condolences provided little solace. Anzu had already moved on. She had already left for her new life. No one was there for him.

All he had was his grandfather's lingering words to encourage him. " _Only a fool lives their life for someone else, get out of this bed and make something of yourself. If you won't do it for your own sake, do it for me!_ " It was the same words that had initially pulled him from his depression over Anzu. Now it was a daily mantra, giving him just enough strength to keep going.

_Live for yourself and no one else._

He tried. He kept the game shop running for most of the summer, but like their cottage, Yugi knew he could not maintain it once school started in the fall. With the decision made, he began to clearance the inventory and looked for buyers. It was not hard to find someone, and, by August, it was all said and done.

At eighteen Yugi was officially settled into a new life. His old one had ended. He had a new job, a new home, and even a new outlook on life. He was a new Yugi, weathered and cynical, but determined to face university and prove the world wrong. He wanted to be more than another face in the crowd, more than a pathetic kid that could not stand up for himself. He was tired of acting as a stepping stone for other people. He was ready for a fresh start; determined to make it happen, make his grandfather proud - make himself proud.

Then Anzu returned.

She had been home visiting her parents when she heard the news about his grandfather. Yugi still had no idea how she did it, but she managed to find his new apartment and appeared back in his life just as suddenly as she had left it. He had barely crawled out of bed and found clothes by the time she was ready to break down the door that night.

It was as though the last eight months had never happened. Her panicked expression and tears wore down the walls he had built, without a single word being uttered. And, the moment she wrapped her arms around him, she was instantly forgiven. No hesitation, no turning back; the night shifted into day as their emotions ran wild, Anzu restoring the life she had stolen.

But it was never the same.

He loved Anzu, but there remained a fear that she would one day leave again. Perhaps he was paranoid, but he did not fully trust her or the new friends she made at university. They were too different, and did not shy away from voicing their dislike of him. Whenever they were around Anzu, she became a different person, someone Yugi could not relate to or understand.

Was there even a point in waking? Anzu would move on, a point she had already proved once. He could feel the darkness waiting for him, lingering in the distance. All he had to do was wait and let the current sweep him into eternity. He felt it, and knew it to be true.

A crisp blast of pain reminded him what choosing life entailed. He had not forgotten what happened. If he woke he would have to suffer, and he was tired of being hurt. He closed his eyes and leaned back, letting his body sink deeper into the stream.

Maybe it would be best to let go…

A soft whine caught his attention.

Through the smoky waters he spotted what looked to be a small dog perched on the edge of the river, watching him drift by as it danced in place. Its limbs shook, working up the nerve as it prepared to come in after him. He marvelled at the strange twist his dream had taken. He had never owned a dog before. So, this was no memory.

The pup moved further up stream and tried again, its small legs repositioning as it lowered before fumbling into the water with an unceremonious plop.

It was adorable at first, but within moments it became clear that the current was too fast. The young wolf could not paddle fast enough to keep its nose elevated and it began to drown. Its nose snorted water, each breath a struggle, before it was fully swept under.

Yugi ducked beneath the waves, watching it tumble and fight to orientate itself. It was just beyond his reach. He leaned forward and planted his feet against the smoothed rocks, anchoring himself against the tide. The small bundle slid into his arms and Yugi kicked free to surface.

The stream was turbulent. Fuming rapids slammed against him and he had to fight each jet of water. It was a nightmare to navigate, spray stinging his eyes and choking his airway. He lifted the wolf higher on his shoulder, the weight forcing him down, but he was better at holding his breath. In the distance he could hear a waterfall, and cursed himself. This was the end he had been waiting for. Of course, it was. Now he had to fight it, if he wanted the pup to live.

His bare feet slid across the slime covered rocks, unable to find footing as he scraped his way towards the shore. The wolf pup climbed higher, half of its body resting on Yugi's head, although most of the weight remained supported against his left shoulder. At least now he had both hands free.

He reached out for low hanging branches and exposed roots, swimming proving harder as the current became too strong to battle. It pulled him closer to the center every time he lost footing and he equally lost patience with it.

But he did not give in.

In desperation, Yugi lunged forward and snagged the side of the shore. The clay was loose and broke free, sending him down river. He had to fight for a strong hold and dig his feet into the mud. It was already breaking loose, but held long enough for him to hoist the small wolf onto the safety of the ledge. A foothold crumbled, but he held on. He dug in again and rested. He did not have the upper body strength to pull himself out. The banks were well above his head, slippery, and gutted by the churning river.

But, the pup was now safe.

Above, golden eyes peered over the edge, staring down at him and pacing before the wolf yelped and tossed its head back in a short yowl. Yugi had never heard such a sound before. It reminded him of his own pain and fears of being alone, like a small child crying out for comfort. He wished he could reach up and pet it. As much as he wanted to pull himself free, it did not seem like he could.

Yugi sighed, resigning himself. If it had not been for the wolf pup he never would have fought the current to begin with. So, why fight it now? He should just let go and let the water sweep him over the edge, into oblivion, like he had craved. What was to stop him?

A rough tongue grated against his muddied fingers. Twin ears poked out, shifting back and forth just out of reach. It wormed a smile across his face to know he had not been abandoned. He lifted a finger and felt it connect with the soft pad of a nose. The wolf huffed and nipped in revenge, its baby teeth barely hurting as its paw swatted and held the finger down. Yugi laughed, trying to see more of the wolf over the edge as he drummed his fingers and heard the wolf startle back with a soft 'wuf'.

He was not sure if the pup would pounce again, or if it had gotten bored and wandered off, but moments passed, and Yugi assumed the game was done. Then something heavy stepped on his hand and a large object dropped over the edge, nearly striking him in the face. It slammed into his elbow then fell away with a heavy splash.

Frowning, at what he swore was amusement in those golden eyes, Yugi turned his attention to the stick floating down the river. It had been a fair-sized branch, long enough to get stuck between the shore and one of the protruding rocks. It was possibly also thick enough to support his weight if he could wedge it in the mud tightly.

He did not think that the wolf had meant to do this when it brought Yugi the stick, but it was worth a shot. There was little room for error at this point and if the stick drifted off before he acted, there would be no other way.

On the count of three he let go. His feet grazed the rocks in an attempt to find footing and slow himself. The protruding rock he wanted came up fast and he grabbed it, clinging fiercely and dragging himself closer.

He was almost there.

The little wolf paced the shore, waiting for him.

He heaved himself up onto the rock, steadied himself, and prepared for what would surely be the hardest part. The stick only had to support his weight for a moment, but if it let go, there was not much left between him and the falls.

The wolf made a celebratory bark and Yugi beamed, appreciating the enthusiasm. He readied himself and tested the stick, putting increasing amounts of pressure down until he felt it begin to slide. With one final, deep breath, Yugi went for it.

The stick slipped out of the mud and vanished, but not before serving its purpose. Yugi hit the ground with half his body over the edge, hands desperately clawing at the earth, uprooting grass and clinging to soil as he squirmed his body forward. Finally, enough weight was balanced in his favour that he could draw up his knees. The little wolf was there to greet him, sticking his nose into Yugi's hair as it tried to nuzzle through the wet mop and gain access to Yugi's face.

Yugi sputtered as the cold tongue lapped at his mouth. He sat up and pushed the little intruder away, but, undeterred, the wolf hopped into his lap, tail wagging so frantically its entire hips swayed. It attacked his hands, trying to restart their earlier game. Yugi grinned, stealing his hand away from the monster's jaws to passively stroke its matted grey fur. "You're too sweet, but why are you alone?"

The words caught the wolf's attention and it sat up to meet Yugi's gaze. Amber eyes glistened, bright, like the warm glow of a honeyed moon. It stepped away from him, putting a small distance in-between before throwing its head back in a long howl. It should have been an impossible for the pup to make such a deep sound, but as the chorus grew in volume, and so did the wolf's size. It loomed over him now, nearly taller at the shoulder than Yugi was when he stood upright. He was dwarfed by its shadow, radiant eyes piercing with golden fire, as it presiding over him like a king holding court.

Yugi swallowed, fear rising as the golden eyes studied him. That golden fire began to spread, engulfing the entire wolf in a halo of radiant light. There was no way to know what the wolf was thinking. It had its head tilted, as though considering something, before it stepped forward and pressed a paw against the center of Yugi's chest.

It was heavy. Like being hit with a medicine ball. The furred toes twitched in time with his heartbeat, the appendage otherwise holding in place like a well thrust spear. Its expression was not threatening, but it held him down while the light oozed from it body and spilled over Yugi like the slow drizzle of honey.

Everything around them began to fade. Darkness drew near, and a vacuum of silence quieted the roar of the waterfall. Everything was gone except the two of them.

Then, the weight on Yugi's chest shifted. He panicked, but could not move. The paw began to sink into him. The second joined the first. He was terrified, but the wolf was unaffected. It dipped its head and pressed its nose into the same place, continuing until its face disappeared, and it stepped through. Carefully, with a sense of tenderness, it squeezed its whole body into him. The tail flicked twice, Yugi's final sight before the light began to pool back towards his chest. The entrance sealed; the light faded. All that remained now was darkness.

He touched his chest, breathless.

The wolf was gone. Or, more accurately, it moved inside him.

He could feel it, just below the surface. It was warm and brushed against the underside of his skin. Yugi could only imagine that this was what a heart attack felt like, a sensation of something wrong, but with no control over it. He breathed deep, panic setting in as the darkness began to melt away and the whole dream dissolved into a stale light.

He had been out for a while. It was a thought that idly occurred to him as he grazed the surface of consciousness. It hurt to breathe, the air cold, and stingy his throat. There was a draft and his muscles constricted in a shiver, trying to fend it off. But, even that small movement hurt.

He did not want to be awake. He willed himself to sleep again, to ignore the pain; but, of course, thinking about it made it worse.

Pain fired up his spine like arcs on a tesla coil and he broke into wakefulness with a strangled moan. He frantically scanned his surroundings, blurred images stinging his retinas in a swirl of fogged vision. It was too bright too see straight. His eyes squeezed shut, lamenting his eagerness. A volcano of pain erupted at the back of his eyes.

Oh, why did he have to wake up?

He tried again, half lidded eyes creaking open to allow the soft spill of moonlight to diffuse between blinks. Slowly his vision recovered enough for him to hold them open and capture a few blurry details, here and there. With enough squinting, the world began to focus and Yugi got his first real look at his surroundings.

The walls were made of cinderblocks and not insulated. A few pieces of would-be furniture speckled the room, but each had suffered serious abuse. There was a tiny window at the end of the room, square and small, with no way to open it unless the bars were removed first.

Yugi took a deep breath, his abs aching at the effort. He knew from experiences that bruises hurt more as they healed. He liked to think it was the same day, but he had to question whether it was natural or artificial light coming through the window. He could not tell given the angle, but he knew he was underground, because the window level with the grass.

An earthy, musty smell, put him in mind of a cellar or storage room. Based on the cement floor and poorly stuccoed ceiling, it was not an ideal place for housing guests. If the solid iron door had anything else to add to his inward conversation, it might suggest Yugi was not welcome here - a thought the bucket in the corner, likely agreed with.

Yugi groaned his displeasure. Not only had he been mugged, but now he woke to find that he had been abducted as well.

Great.

Just, peachy.

But, maybe mugging was not the right term. He remembered coming out of the game shop around ten and calling Anzu. Ryou was scheduled to arrive around ten-thirty, so he thought he would sneak in a quick phone call to check up. She had not answered. Before the call went to voicemail. Then, a modified Chevy pulled up and three men stepped out. The truck pulled off to park and Yugi sensed their deliberateness. He had set his things aside for them, not wanting a fight and willing to offer whatever he had. But, they were not interested in the bag – they wanted Ryou.

He had accidently kicked his stuff over when he hopped the rail and ran. He knew the recent extension made the mall's parking a labyrinth and he had planned to use it. He might have even made it, if not for the dogs. The sound of their claws eating up the distance gave Yugi a moment to realise what was about to happen. Then a full body of fur slammed him into the pavement.

The dogs recovered faster and latched onto Yugi's leg. He shrieked, but the thugs caught up to him and fed a bandana into his mouth. It hardly helped muffle anything. Yugi was in hysterics; his leg turned to bloodied pulp. The driver called the dog off, ushering them all into the privacy of the underground before things proceeded.

They even bothered to prop up against the closest wall before unleashing all manner of hell, in the form of jabs and kicks that made the world spin. He nearly forgot about the wound on his leg and tried to stand, tried to run. The moment he got his feet beneath him, he tried, but the world swayed and he collapsed after four steps.

They punished him for that. Let the dog have another turn. Then again, now that he thought about it, they looked more like wolves than any breed of dog he had ever seen. Big and muscled, brown fur as thick as molasses, with green eyes, keen and aware, clearly taking pleasure in his pain.

Yugi was barely perceptive enough to realise they had been asking questions. He was caught in the adrenaline. It had taken a hard slap for him to stop sputtering and pull his mind back into focus. His name was easy enough, but for the rest he could offer few answers. They kept mentioning this one word, again and again: Senjiyuu. He had no idea what it was, but he would never forget it.

He thought, initially, they had the wrong guy. But, as he suggested this, they eerily listed his class schedule. They knew where he had been and who he was with. Clearly, they had been following him for weeks, and yet, he had not had the faintest clue as to why.

It still eluded him. He could not answer any of their questions and his body showed it. They thought pummelling him could make him talk, that hitting harder would coax an answer, but they had no way to break Yugi into confessing something he did not know.

He glanced around once more and confirmed his original thoughts. They were keeping him alive to interrogate again. Once they had what they wanted, it was bye-bye Yugi. He should have been in a hospital. They had only done what was necessary to keep him alive. Why put Humpty back together if the plan was to crack him open again?

He shuddered to imagine those thick hands back at his throat, fingers dense as steel, squeezing, pulling the air from his lungs. He remembered questioning whether victims heard the 'snap' of their own neck. He was happier without an answer.

The sound of dogs fighting cut through his train of thought. He looked to the window and listened. An unsettled feeling rose in his gut. Human voices chimed in. Muffled words of anger. Shouting, then fighting. The sounds blistered into a cry of war.

Yugi curled in on himself. That was likely to be him soon enough. Some goon would come in, beat the truth out of him, then feed him to the wolves.

He needed to get out.

With a slow breath Yugi fought to sit up. He bit back the pain, groaning impatiently as his body refused the command and dropped him back against the pillow. Everything hurt, and now the world was spinning. He felt sick. In hindsight it was a terrible plan, but he would not sit idle and wait for the end.

He touched his chest where the wolf had entered, feeling no lump, no scar, or pain. It was one of the few places that didn't ache - something to be grateful for, considering it was right over his heart. He sighed and let his hand drift over his body, feeling out the bruises and cuts with gentle presses that spurred on a variety of pain.

He did not feel the wolf inside him. There was no brush of fur or warm sensation like before. If only he could go back and dream again, play with the little wolf awhile longer. This reality of despair festered like an open sore. He did not to wait to be killed this way. He would rather have died in his sleep than relive the attack.

There was a record of what happened etched onto his body, written in blood. The grotesque recounting told of how close he had been to death. If he was attacked again, it would be worse. They were not in public any more, so now they might take their time. He could only imagine. But he knew at least one thing they wanted: the name of man giving him rides to school. Ryou's name.

Yugi had refused. It made it look as though he had been lying the whole time. That was when the pain truly escalated. And Yugi saw…. Something, weird. One of the men took off his shirt and started to change. It was like something straight out of Hollywood. Except it was real. Unless the pain had made him delusional – that was a nice thought.

Fur had sprouted the man's chest. His eyes changed from hazel, to amber. Then the face contorted and elongated into a muzzle, complete with ears and fangs. The man cried out, becoming less human by the second. Bones snapped, skin peeled. Fantasy merged with reality, and before him, a wolf now stood.

It could not have been real. He had to of imagined it.

Outside, the shouting and dogs silenced briefly, and Yugi's attention was drawn to the echo of fresh voices in the hall, near his door. He heart hammered as they approached. He honestly had not thought they would return for him so soon. But, then again, he had no way to know how long he had been out.

He fixated on the handle when he heard it rattle. His injuries severely limited his movement. The latch jiggled, keys shifting, locks popping; the door squealed open like a gutted pig.

Artificial light permeated the room, blinding him. Two figures stood in the door frame. Neither man seemed prepared for Yugi to be awake, that, or they did not care, and their conversation continued unabated.

The first, and holder of the keys, was a heavy-set man, aged into his later years. He sported peppered hair and a granite expression. He was well-dressed, but dishevelled, as if recently roused from sleep. Dark lines showed beneath his pale eyes. The two-button down, charcoal suit fit him like a proper businessman, cut and tailored to support his wider midsection that threatened to spill over the rim of his belt. Double-pleated slacks sheeted stubby legs that sunk into polished dress-shoes, and he leaned on a mahogany cane to support the gimp in his right side.

His companion was quite the opposite, fit and trim. It was clear that he was younger, taller, and thinner, but there was little else to see of him behind the other's squared frame. It seemed like the first was in charge until the second came into the room. Once he had, it was clear who was boss. Yugi could hardly stop himself from staring as they made eye contact; transfixed by the beauty, that was sin incarnate.

Sin was carved from the night itself, born of storm clouds and lightning that lingered in the midnight tresses of his hair. Red, the deep scarlet of old blood, edged the outer ends of each strand, as if that were the secret to its gravity-defying style. He was lean and composed of tight muscle, ropes and cords of it, that glided when he walked.

Sin was as breath taking; literally so. He had the most stunning pair of maroon eyes Yugi had ever seen.

"It's pointless. I've already told you that he can't-"

The old man stopped talking as Sin raised his hand.

Silence permeated the room. Those love-me red eyes studied him, holding onto the desperate, never-leave-me gaze that consumed Yugi's features. He had never been so enamoured by a stranger before. Beauty magazines and models rarely captivated him. This was surreal. Normally, it was the personality that matter, the soul inside the vessel that attracted him. But this man, he… he was something else.

Yugi felt a warmth rise inside him. It was as if the wolf had raised its head, peeking out and surveying the scene. It watched Sin, displeased to have been disturbed by him.

The older man stepped forward and took notice of Yugi's eyes as well. "Well, I'll be damned. You get your wish after all," he stated blankly, cane striking the ground as he moved to seat himself on the stool by the window.

Yugi was not certain what they planned, his eyes darting to the side for a moment to take in the movement before they moved back to admire Sin. He had moved closer during the distraction, but stopped when Yugi's eyes were fixated on him. Maybe if he looked away again…

Yugi nearly jumped from the bed when a caramel wrist was shoved into his face. He frowned at the offensive object, then his next breath drew in the heavenly aroma, and his hands worked on auto-pilot to bring the appendage closer, eager to investigate.

He pressed his nose against the warm flesh, spruce and cedar relaxing his senses at the thick woodsy smell. It was one of lakes and leaves, clay, dirt and soil. Sin was a gold mine of flavours, a buffet of sensations and scents that unhinged Yugi's mind; it distracted him from the tender sweep of fingers across his cheek, and slow decent of covers from his chest.

A wolf howled and it brought Yugi back with a jolt.

He panicked and rose from the bed suddenly, the white gauze staining red as he pulled unwilling muscle into motion. Sin's hands caught him and pressed firmly on his chest, right where the wolf had entered, to guide Yugi back against the bed. "You shouldn't move."

Now Yugi was confused - that voice was heavenly. Maybe Sin was an angel in disguise.

Yugi laid back as instructed, wincing through the pain. His throat refused to work, so he tried to offer a nod of understanding, but that hurt too. An involuntary whimper escaped him.

"He's going to need someone to redress his wounds. He just reopened most of them," Sin said to Gansley over his shoulder.

The older man grumbled. It sounded like, "it was your wolves", but that did not make any sense to Yugi. Then Gansley spoke again, clearer this time, "I will send someone when we're finished."

Yugi's heart was aflutter as Sin's attention came back to him. The warm hands began to explore his skin, investigating his chest and arms. Heat passed between them in soft caresses, the fingertips ghosting over wounds with gentle presses. Yugi tried not to hiss as Sin neared his hip and touched the area on his right side. That was where the wolf-man had skewered him, and Sin's teasing brought on a strange mix of pleasure and pain.

He ground his teeth together. It was purely pain now.

A choked gurgle formed at the back of his throat. The words were there, but they would not take shape. Sin watched him before realising and laid a finger across his lips to stall the attempt. "It's okay."

Yugi smiled, pleased that he could give up on the effort of trying to speak.

The old man took notice as well, groaning an agitated puff of air. "He's not going to talk. I told you. This was pointless. The Urukai will take care of him until he shifts, by then he will have healed and you can get your answers."

Did anything the old man say make sense?

Sin did not look pleased. But the frustrated mask he showed Yugi eased into confidence by the time he spoke. "I did not come here solely for his side of the story. I came to make sure he is being cared for, and from what I can see, a cell is hardly suitable. He is still human. He will need medical staff on hand for at least the next forty-eight hours in case something goes wrong. Unless you have changed your mind on releasing him into my custody, I suggest you take better care, and see that he lives."

The threat, though unspoken, hung low in the air. "He may not be pack, but he is ours."

The older man nodded, but could not maintain a poker face. "Just do what you came here for. It's bad enough as it is, and I don't need further hostility between us. Have your look, then gather your people and go. We will discuss this again the night after he-"

A soft knock rasped at the door. "Mr. Gansley, sir?"

"What is it now?" the older man barked, his fury over Sin's comment lashing out at a fresh victim.

There was a long pause. The voice on the other side stammered, then recovered with a hasty reply, "It's… its Ushio, sir. He needs to speak with you, right away."

"Ancestors give him to the spirits... Tell the brat I'm busy!"

"I can't sir. He said it's urgent and I'm not to return without you," the meek voice protested, clearly not enjoying being stuck in the middle.

"That ignorant fuck," Gansley ground out, massaging his temples with his forefinger and thumb.

"It's about Keith, sir. He has information he needs to discuss with you, in private. He says it's urgent and cannot wait."

It was nearly possible to see the gears turning in Gansley's head, like the slow tick of a pocket watch. "Damn these boys," he growled out, teeth grinding audibly as he thought aloud. "Excuse me Yami, but we will need to conclude this business another time. The boy stays with us until after the first shift, that is final. Conduct your questioning and make sure to take those… beasts with you when you go."

"Very well, but I expect to be updated on any changes" - Yami stepped aside so Gansley could pass – "It was one of yours that attacked Yugi, and by those rights that makes him your responsibility. But, if I have to bring the culprits to justice myself, no amount of tradition or respect between us will bar the way."

Yugi had no idea what they were talking about, but collected the pieces so he could put the puzzle together later.

Gansley was not pleased, and did not hide it from showing on his face.

Yami took the opportunity for one more barb. "If I do not hear from you, I will collect him."

At Yami's demands Gansley bobbed his head. He said nothing more, his cane clicking angrily as he walked. The door closed and sealed them inside with a pronounced 'clang'. Yugi turned to Yami for guidance, uncertain of whether he could continue to trust him given the confusing words and unfriendly discussion.

Shift?

Pack?

Collect him?

Yugi wanted to go home.

The fact that he had even trusted Yami at all was quickly becoming suspect. Maybe they had done something to him while he slept, slipped him a drug that made him more complacent. It sounded weird, but he was not ordinarily distracted by a pretty face, not when something so serious was going on. His life was in danger. These people had locked him in a cell with an iron door and no means of escape. He could not trust them.

"I'm sorry this happened to you."

The words caught Yugi off guard and he flinched.

There was a long pause; Yugi's disbelieving eyes swelling at the apology.

"You were never meant to be involved. If it's any consolation, I will stop those that did this to you. They won't hurt anyone else."

Yami sighed. Outside, he could hear Akefia barely containing his rage. Mariku was shouting and struggling to restrain him. If they did not need the Urukai's cooperation to stop the abductions, he might have set Akefia loose. He might have even joined them, given what had been done to Ryou. His pack brothers would have to give the Urukai hell on his behalf. Scare them, so that they would all know that this – anything like this, would not go unpunished.

Pale fingertips traced the edge of his knuckles where they fisted the bed sheets angrily. It brought Yami back from his thoughts. Yugi looked terrified, wide amethyst eyes begging him to explain. Yami wished he could tell him everything, but it would be too much, too quickly. Instead he offered a soft smile and took Yugi's hand in his.

"Listen, Yugi, I need to ask you some things. Do you think you could squeeze once for yes and twice for no?"

Yugi squeezed twice, grinning when Yami rolled his eyes. It was not the best time to play games, he realised, and squeezed once more.

Yami softly shook his head and breathed an agitated sigh. "Thank you."

The exhaustion was evident, written into the creased lines on his brow and the way his shoulder slacked in response to Yugi's promise of cooperation. "Did you know any of the people that attacked you?"

Two squeezes.

"Do you think you could pick out their faces in a crowd?"

Yugi squeezed twice, though that was a lie. If he admitted to recognizing them, they might come after him. It was better to have everyone think he had lost his memory or something. At least until he could figure out who to trust. He was not certain how Ryou was involved, but he was about the only person Yugi was willing to disclose details with.

Then he met Yami's eyes and squeezed once.

"Did they say any names, call each other something identifiable?"

Yugi hesitated. Was Senjiyuu a name? If it was, then yes. If not, then he still had no idea what it meant. He chose to answer no, but squeezed once. It confused even him, then he remembered the name Hirutani. One of them had call the brown wolf that.

"Did they ask about the Senjiyuu?"

Yugi must have jerked forward at the word because Yami planted a hand firmly on his chest to hold him back. "I'll take that as a yes. Try to relax."

Their hands joined again as the panic wore off and Yami continued, his voice soothing, "Do you know what the Senjiyuu are?"

Two squeezes. Even if he had known, saying yes to that question was clearly dangerous.

Another soft knock at the door. It was similar to the one that had disturbed Gansley. Both Yugi and Yami stared it down as it creaked open and a sandy-blonde peeked he his head inside. "I'm sorry, I know I am interrupting, but Master Gansley said Yugi needs his wounds cleaned, right away?"

He made it a question instead of a statement. Which sounded odd, until Yugi noticed the sharp glare that had overtaken Yami's formerly soft expression. There was no telling why the blonde deserved that look, but Yugi shuttered at the thought of being on the receiving end.

The action did not go unnoticed and Yami let it fade, offering Yugi a gentle look of apology in its place. Then he turned his crimson eyes back to the door. "You are the one Gansley mentioned, the balveric?"

The slender figure toyed with his hands anxiously, not meeting Yami's gaze. "Y-yes, my name is Malik. Malik Ishtar. My sister runs the clinic, but she is away on business. I-I will take care of Yugi. Nothing will happen, I promise."

There was a strong rattle of fear in Malik's voice. It broke through no matter how hard the boy tried to keep his tone steady. Yami did not trust him, but he seemed harmless enough. "Be sure that you do. I will hold you accountable."

Malik nodded in rapid succession and fetched a cart from beyond the door and pulled it inside. Yugi could not understand why Yami was treating him like this, but maybe they had a history? If so, why was Malik introducing himself? Nothing made sense. And there was no time to tease out any details.

Yami rose to his feet to vacate the spot for Malik. The ashen-blonde krept by him, opening the case of medical supplies and setting a few aside. They shared a look, then Yami turned to leave. He paused at the threshold, looking back at Yugi and fishing something out of his blazer. He returned to the bedside and reached out for Yugi's hand, slipping something into it. He curled Yugi's fingers around the object, patting his hand once Yugi had a firm hold.

"I will be back for you. Keep an eye out, and your back against the wall." He glared at Malik one last time.

It could hardly be more ominous. Malik joined Yugi in raising a brow, watching Yami leave and shut the door behind him.

Once out of earshot Malik mumbled to himself, "Whoever put the stick up his ass should pull it out. It's starting to root."

Yugi snorted at the comment, uncertain as to what he should believe.

He investigated the small object left for him. To his surprise it was the dark magician piece, the one from the expansion that came out today. It had to be from Ryou. He must have asked Yami to give it to him as proof that he could be trusted. If only he had told him sooner.

It could not be a coincidence.

"What's that?" Malik asked, seating himself onto the bed.

Yugi held up the figurine, not expecting Malik to recognise it. "A Monster World piece? Why would he give you that?"

Yugi knew the answer, but shrugged his shoulders. If Ryou trusted Yami, and he did not trust Malik, then Yugi would not be deaf to the parting advice.

Without asking, Malik plucked the piece from Yugi's hand and turned it over between his fingers. "There doesn't seem to be anything special about it? It just looks like an ordinary figure and – oh, shoot, you're bleeding again aren't you? Here." Malik handed the dark magician back to Yugi and grabbed a fresh towel from the cart. He pressed it against Yugi's right hip then took scissors from a tray, cutting away the soiled wrappings.

It was the first time Yugi had seen the damage, part of his mind warning him that, by acknowledging it, it might somehow hurt more. But, he was curious. His clothing had been stripped down to boxers, displaying the full details of the attack in a Pollack-style expression against the canvas of white gauze.

No wonder Yami had been mad. Yugi was a ruined mess. He did not have an iv drip either, but must have lost a serious amount of blood. He would have more than a few scars, no matter what Malik did.

"So, do you know him? Mr. Stick-butt? Uh… Oh, ancestors - please don't tell him I called him that..." Malik looked pale.

Yugi snickered, a hum at the back of his throat the best reply he could offer.

Malik looked at him, then realised, opening a drawer on the trolley to fetch a small pad of paper and pen. "Here, don't try and talk."

Yugi smiled, writing a thank you and answering Malik's question. ~No, I just met him~

Malik paused to check the notepad, rising from the bed to fetch the bucket from the back corner as he replied, "Apparently, he leads the Senjiyuu. But, before tonight, I would have said they were fairytales. Shows what I know."

He clicked his tongue as he sat back down and set the bucket near the bed. Carefully he pulled the gauze away from Yugi's skin and dumped the used material into the bucket. Some of it was stained with a strange mercury colour.

Yugi leaned forward as best he could and tapped Malik with the notepad to get his attention. ~What are Senjiyuu?~

"Shifters. Dangerous ones. They are a bit of a legend, similar to the illuminati. Once a joke, but… I don't know if it's funny any more. Three of them showed up tonight looking for you. According to them, you were attacked because someone was trying to hurt them. It seems a bit hard to believe, but" – Malik gave him a pitiful look – "I don't understand why someone would attack you. Do you know who it was?"

Yugi frowned at that term. ~I don't know who. What are shifters?~

Malik's lavender eyes widened in alarm. His voice held an incredulous tone, "You don't know? Do you not remember? Oh, nevermind… Yugi… I, I don't know how to tell you this, other than to just say it. A shifter is what humans might call a werewolf. You were bit, and you are here now. We will look after you until you go through the change. I can already smell it in you."

His heart raced.

He felt sick.

Bile collected in his mouth.

It wasn't just a dream.

* * *

**A/N:** Hopefully people enjoyed Yami and Yugi's first interaction :3


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